I belong to you
by VijeyemVanouKey
Summary: Summary : Catherine and Steve broke up 2 years ago. Now is the time they see each other again for Chin and Abby's wedding in Hawaii. But Catherine is not on her own. How will she react when she sees Steve again ? Is it possible to forget someone you love so much? Can they try again ? A McRoll fanfiction.
1. Chapter 1 - Coming back

_I don't own Hawaii Five-0, all rights belong to CBS & Peter Lenkov_

 _English is not my first language so I hope I won't do lot of mistakes and that you'll forgive me for the ones I would make !_

 _Summary : Catherine and Steve broke up 2 years ago. Now is the time they see each other again for Chin and Abby's wedding in Hawaii. But Catherine is not on her own, she's coming with her boyfriend Jake. How will she react when she see Steve again ? How will Steve cope with Catherine being with another man ? A McRoll fanfiction._

 **I BELONG TO YOU**

It was 7 in the morning when Catherine Rollins arrived at the Honolulu International Airport. The last time she was there was a year ago, when she had to tell Steve that his mom was in danger, when she saw she had been replaced in Steve's heart by this good-looking blonde girl called Lynn, and when she learnt he was going to propose before she « left » him to go to this secret mission with Doris. Their relationship had always been an on an off thing, long distance most of the time, but they loved each other, she knows that for sure. And now, there she was again, she felt so excited to see Kono, Chin, Kamekona and the rest of what she used to call her « ohana ». But, at the same time, she was so nervous, knowing that Steve will be there, certainly with Lynn. Did he know she was coming ? Will he attend the wedding with Lynn ? Are they going to be able to act like old friends ? She felt her heart beating so fast...

« Catherine ? You alright ? » asked Jake, with a concerned voice.

Jake was Catherine new boyfriend. He was a very nice guy, a little bit taller than Steve, he had very dark green eyes, brown hair, he was for sure a very handsome man. He and Catherine met a few weeks after she saw Steve for the last time, a few weeks after she saw him with Lynn and that she knew that it was a sign she had to move on as well. So when Jake came to talk with her at this charity dinner a year ago, she felt that it was the right time. He was obviously her type, was kind and used to work in the military rank but was now self employed as a private detective.

After her last mission, Catherine decided to settle a little bit, in Washington D.C, where her parents lived, and that's where she attended the charity dinner and met Jake. They've spent a lot of time together and he had already told her that he loved her, but she just wasn't ready to say it as well. Was it because she was too shy to say these words or was it because deep down, she was still in love with the only men she ever loved, the Steve McGarrett ?

« I'm fine Jake, don't worry, it's just weird you know...a little part of my life was here », she said, remembering the good and bad times she had on the island.

« You sure it's okay for me to be here Catherine ? I mean...I will understand if you don't feel at ease or »

« Come on Jake, I wouldn't have told you to come with me if I didn't wanted you here ».

Jake smiled at her, God did he loved this woman, she was everything he was looking for, a strong, brave woman, but also very caring, funny and sensitive. He kissed her on the right cheek and took her hand.

« Okay, let's go then, our taxi is waiting for us, we should go to the hotel » said Jake with a kind smile.

Catherine felt that her heart was racing fast. In a few hours, she will be face to face with him again, the man she had so many shared memories with, the only man she said I love you to.

Lost in her thoughts, Catherine went with Jake in the taxi.


	2. Just a little note

_Hey guys, I already have a lot more written for this story, but I'm not sure if I should release it or not, that's why I posted only a little part for the first chapter. I hope I don't make many mistakes as English is not my language. Anyway, let me know, be really honest with me, I won't take it bad ! =) Have a nice day_

 _xoxo_


	3. Chapter 2 - Always in my head

_Thank you for the kind reviews, I'm so happy I can keep posting ..._

* * *

At the same time, Steve McGarrett was busy helping for the wedding preparations. Chin and Abby's wedding will take place in the Ko'olau Ballrooms , a remote location in Kaneohe on the island of Oahu . It serves as an oasis, secretly tucked away from civilization and still only minutes away from Waikiki and Downtown Honolulu.

Steve was off duty, as the rest of the team, for 3 whole days. The HPD would take all the emergencies cases if there would be some.

It was Saturday and the wedding will begin at 5.30 pm but there was multiple things left to do for this moment to be unforgettable.

Steve knew Catherine was invited, because Chin was a loyal friend of both, and he didn't want to make both of them uncomfortable by not telling them _« you're ex will be there »._ Steve was so mad at himself because a side of him was so excited to see her again, since he knew she was coming to the wedding, he kept thinking about it like every single day. But, his other side was telling him to stay down on earth. Last time he saw her, she made it clear she was _« happy, doing what she's doing »_ , happy without him. But until now, her last words _« I would have say yes »_ stills broke his heart everytime. Now with Chin and Abby's wedding, he felt a little bit sad. Not jealous, but sad. He was already 40 years old but his love life was a mess. He was with Lynn, but it was nothing serious, he knew she wasn't the woman of his life, she would not be the mother of his child, well...if he has some one day...but she was there when he felt alone, sad or drunk, and for now that was enough for him. They were seeing each other not more than twice a month, and it was only for sex, they would never really talk about serious topics, they would not go outside to have dinner, He knew Lynn was very naive, hoping he would change someday, but she seemed okay with all this situation so that was enough for him. He was a man after all.

He knew Catherine was coming and deep down, he was happy Lynn couldn't make it to the reception as she was in a trip for the weekend. Well, he didn't really invite her neither, afraid to have her « stuck » to him all evening, as she didn't knew a lot of people in the ceremony. She just knew Danny and Lou a little bit, but she wasn't close at all with all the other, like she actually never met Jerry, Kamekona, Max or even Kono and Chin. So yeah, Steve was relieved she wasn't there, so he could enjoy the moment and maybe have a little talk with Catherine. A talk about what ? He didn't really know, but he really wanted to catch up with her, even if they weren't together anymore, he felt like his heart was always beating faster when he heard about her, when he saw her, or when he heard someone with the same name for example.

He hated himself for being excited about seeing her again, but he was even more angry to feel that way. After all, she left him twice, she didn't deserve him, she lied to him...that's all the stuffs he kept saying to himself so that his mood won't go down. But he knew, he knew she had to do what she did, that he would have done the same, that he overreacted, that the moment she went into that plane with Doris after saying that she would have say yes to his proposal everything was over forever...

They didn't kept in touch since the last time they spoke. He was wondering if she looked the same, if things changed in her life, The only thing he didn't know is that Catherine wouldn't be on her own. He kept thinking she was too busy with all her missions to have something serious with another man.

* * *

Catherine and Jake arrived at the Paradise Bay Resort in Kaneohe, it was very close to the wedding reception and you could go there by walk. It was Chin and Abby who advised this hotel, they made sure there was one near the wedding place so the guests could sleep easily and won't have to take their cars. Most of the guests booked a hotel room there and Catherine and Jake weren't the only ones who had a beautiful place to stay. Danny and Melissa, Kono and Adam, Jerry, Max and Sabrina, or even Steve had a room there.

« Aloha ! Welcome to the Paradise Bay Resort ! How can I help you ? » asked the blonde woman at the hotel reception

« Aloha ! We booked a room for the weekend ! Jake Foley please », said Jake with a huge smile.

This was his first time in Hawaii and he was so happy to be here, on this beautiful island, with this beautiful woman on his side. He knew Hawaii was important to her, that a lot of her friends lived here. He knew she had an « ex lover » who would be there at the wedding but Cath made it clear when she said that everything was over with this man. He didn't know the whole story and he didn't want to know. So they never talked about it again. After all, they were together now, she looked happy with him.

« Yes, let me check...Jake Foley...room number 53, third floor on the left. Matthew will help you with the suitcases and show you your room ! If you have any problem, please just make a call or come here, there's always someone at the reception » said the woman, smiling to the couple.

She then gave the keys to Catherine and Matthew took their suitcases, called the elevator, and showed the room. It was beautiful, very spacious, the bed was huge, and they had a view on the mountain and on the sea. They also had a medium balcony where there were a table, two chairs and two glasses with something that looked delicious in it.

« It's beautiful, I missed Hawaii so much you know... », Catherine said as she was enjoying the view, feeling nostalgic.

Jake came behind her and gave her a hug, her back against him.

« I know you missed it, and I'm so happy to be here with you, we have to enjoy every single moment of this weekend, what do you think ? » Jake said with a soft voice.

« I totally agree with you, we're not here for a long time so let's enjoy our weekend...I can't wait for you to meet my ohana, you'll see they are a little special but they're nice » laughed Catherine

« A little special ? Should I be worried ? » said Jake with a grin

« No, I mean, some of them are really special, like my friend Kamekona, he loves talking about schrimps, or Jerry, he's obsessed with conspiracy theories...or you have Max, he has very weird jokes, but well, you'll see that with your eyes ! Just be yourself, I'm sure they will like you ! »

« So I can't wait to meet all of these new people ! At what time do we meet them ? At the ceremony or before ? » asked Jake

« Well it's 8.15 am, I think we can maybe unpack our stuffs, then have a shower, put on new clothes, and go at the wedding hall see if there's help needed, what do you think Mr Foley ? »

« Fine by me lady ! Let's do this ! ».

While Catherine was unpacking her suitcase, Jake went to the bathroom to take a shower. She decided to send a text message to Kono :

 _ **-Kono ! we're at the hotel ! Such a nice place ! Where r u ?**_

Kono's reply was fast

 _ **-Catherine ! Yay ! I'm on the way to the hotel with Adam then we go to**_ ** _ **Ko'olau Ballrooms see if they need help ! What abt u ?**_**

 ** _ **-I'll take a shower then I'll go there as well, let's say in a hour in the reception hall ?**_**

 ** _ **-Perfect timing ! Can't wait to see Jake !And you !**_**

 ** _ **\- see u in an hour then, can't wait xoxo !**_**

Catherine sat on the bed and sighed, she felt more and more nervous. Going to this place means she might see Steve there. What would she say to him ? How would she introduce Jake ? Hope Lynn will be there, it would be easier ! God, this was harder than expected ! Catherine had to put an end to her thoughts when Jake came out of the bedroom. He was only wearing a towel around his waist.

He smiled at her « The bathroom is all yours ! What do you think I should wear ? »

Catherine looked at the stuffs he brought with him « Hmm...put this white t-shirt with the black shorts, there are lots of stuffs we need to prepare I'm sure, and then later we'll come back to our room and you'll put your beautiful suit that fits you so well » she said

« You mean the one that makes me look like a penguin ? You're too kind ! »

Catherine then went in front of him and kiss him tenderly on his lips « I'm going in the bathroom, I'll be back in fifteen minutes ». She then walked over there and closed the door. She leaned her back against the bathroom door. She felt so lost. Jake was so nice to her, she wanted him to feel at ease, she wanted to show him that she was glad he was there with him, but this Steven McGarrett's thoughts won't go out of her head ! She turned the shower on and went under it, it felt very good and helped her to relax « _You can do this Cath...you're not with him anymore, he's with Lynn, you're with Jake, end of the story_ » she said to herself.

* * *

« Why are you looking at me like that? » Steve asked to Danny who was helping him to make sure no chairs were missing and that the numbers corresponded to the number of people invited.

« I'm not looking at you ! » Danny replied with a weird look on his face.

« Why are you looking at me like that Danny ? Just spit it out, I can feel there's something you want to tell and I prefer you tell me right away because I can't stand when you do that face ! » Steve said with a mixture of humor and exasperation.

« Well..how do you feel about...you know... ? » asked Danny

« How do I feel about what ? I don't know what you're talking about ? »

« Ok let me go straight to the point . How do you feel about seeing Catherine again ? » Danny asked, a little bit ill-at-ease.

Steve let a huge sigh out of his mouth « I feel good, thanks for your concern. You know we separated in good terms. So I feel good Sir Williams, I'm with Lynn don't you remember ? »

« Oh yes I forgot, the Lynn you're seeing twice a month, the Lynn I saw maybe three times in 2 years, the Lynn you didn't invite to this wedding ! » said Danny sarcastically

« She's on a trip in Los Angeles with her best friends, I already told you that » Steve said, trying not to look too vulnerable

« Well, you knew that way way AFTER you got the invitation ! Does she even know you're at a wedding today ? » asked Danny with both his hands on his waist

« Danny please, it's 8.30 in the morning and you're already ruining my day ! Can you just leave me alone with this, I'm good with Lynn okay ! »

« Okay so, you won't be mad if I tell you something I overheard ?» Danny said, looking deep in Steve's eyes.

« What did you overheard Danny ? Tell me, impress me ! »

« You said you're fine so here it is, I overheard Kono talking with Kamekona about the wedding last day, and I think I heard Catherine is staying at the same hotel we're all staying in » answered Danny

« Okay, and ? What's the problem ? Chin told us it was the best deal, and most of us are going there ! »

« Well, the thing is that I might have heard, I say _might,_ that Catherine will be...okay well here it is, I heard Catherine won't be on her own, I think she's coming with someone, someone like a man, like a boyfriend maybe you know ». Danny could feel Steve was shoked by his announce.

« A boyfriend ? Are you sure of that ?» Steve tried to act normal but his feelings were obviously hurt, he would never think Catherine would come with someone !

« I'm 99% sure, you know I'm the best at hearing conversations I shouldn't hear » said Danny with a concerned look.

« Yes, you're the master at this ! Well that's great news for her, I'm happy for her, what do you want me to tell you Danny ? »

« I want to make sure you're okay with it Steve, you're my best buddy that's all »

« Danny, I'm totally fine with this okay. Catherine and I had a great thing but it's been over for 2 years now, we would never get back together, it's over, so do not worry, but thank you for telling me this ! ».

« You're welcome babe ». Danny's cell phone rang, it was Melissa, his girlfriend « Sorry, I have to take this »

Steve felt like somebody had put a knife in his heart. He was speechless, even if he said to Danny it was fine. He felt jealous like he never felt before, right now he just felt miserable, but he couldn't show it. Why is he reacting like this ? Steve couldn't understand. Catherine had all the rights to be with someone else, she wasn't his property, they weren't a couple anymore, but knowing she was with another man broke his heart. He wasn't sure he would be able to see him, but he had no choices.

 _To be continued..._


	4. Chapter 3 - See you again

« Catheriiiiiiine ! » screamed Kono when she saw Catherine in the hotel reception. The two of them remained very good friends, even after Cath and Steve broke up ! They kept in touch but the rule was to never talk about Steve if Catherine wouldn't ask questions.

« Kono ! It's so good to see you again ! » said Catherine while hugging her « Adam ! Hiii ! » she continued, hugging Adam who did the same « Glad so see you Catherine ! »

Kono turned to the man next to Catherine « You must be Jake ! I'm Kono, welcome to Hawaii! I'm sure Catherine told you about me ! And this is my husband, Adam »

Jake nodded « Nice to meet you both ! And indeed I've already heard about you ! »

Catherine felt really stupid at this very right moment. What had she in mind bringing Jake with her ! She just realized how weird it was to introduce Jake to her friends. He just met two of her friends in Hawaii that she already wanted to go back in time and to travel alone. Then, Catherine felt guilty to think like that. Jake was nice to her but he was too gentle, too naive, too comprehensive with everything. Of course it would never last, he was just kind of a toy she played with to forget Steve. And she felt a bit terrible about it. Because today was the day the reality hit her in the face. Their « relationship » was doomed to failure. He wasn't meant to be with her, and she wasn't meant to be with him.

« Ok Adam, here what I suggest » said Kono « Catherine and I will unpack my stuffs in our room, you can see it later, you've been there before you know what this place looks like ! You and Jake you just go and help the other at the wedding reception, they need help to install the overheard projector for tonight ! We'll meet you there in...let's see... like 45 minutes-1 hour ?! »

Both men nodded. Adam was a very friendly guy and he would make Jake feel comfortable. Jake was not a shy man neither, so there wasn't any problem for them to walk together to the Ko'olau Ballrooms. The girls stared at them as they left the Paradise Bay Resort.

« Well, Miss Rollins, I can say you still have a great taste in men ! This guy is H.O.T ! » said Kono, laughing in the same time !

Catherine rolled her eyes and smiled « Okay, we don't need help with your little bag, let's take this in your room, what's the number Kono? »

« Number 20, second floor, but don't change the topic I want gossips ! »

« I missed you Kono ! » said Catherine quietly « And there's no gossips, it's nothing serious you know... »

The girl arrived in Kono and Adam's bedroom. It looked almost the same that Catherine was sharing with Jake.

« What do you mean by nothing serious ? » asked Kono

« Well, we're just hanging together, sharing a few moments, but it stops there ». Catherine couldn't believe she just said that. « It's just that you know...after I saw Steve with Lynn last year, I realized I had to write another chapter in my life, so when I met Jake, I found him attractive, he sounded nice, and one thing leading to another...you know...now we spend some time together..I try to start something new and good in my love life » she said, sounding a little bit sad

« Did he say he loved you ? » asked Kono, curious

« Gosh yeah, he did say those words 3 times already. He told me he will let me some time to be ready to say it as well » sighed Catherine

« And ? How do you feel with that ? »

Catherine suddenly felt she had to talk, she had to say what she had inside her, and Kono was the right person she could trust.

« Honestly, I feel that he's a great man but he's not for me, he's like a Band-aid I put on my heart so it will stop bleeding ! Tell me I'm awful, tell me how mean I am Kono » said Catherine sharply.

Kono could feel her friend was overwhelmed « Look Catherine, maybe you should give him some time to...». Kono said as Catherine interrupted her « I'm going to see him today ! Steve ! With her ! Lynn. I'm going to see them as lovers and I'm just glad Jake is here so I won't be on my own »

Kono raised one's eyebrows « Hum, well good news my friend, Lynn is on a trip, so Steve will be alone »

« What ? Are you sure ?! » shouted Catherine, surprised.

« Yeah totally. Sorry I just know it since last Wednesday ! I should have text you...but we said we shouldn't talk about him unless you're the one to ask questions, remember ?» Kono replied.

« Yes, yes I remember. So it means he's going to be at the wedding alone, and I will be with Jake ! oh this is just great, this is perfect ! This is gonna be soooo uncomfortable ! » Catherine said as she sat on the bed and put her head in both of her hands.

« Catherine don't be so upset ! You have the rights to be with someone else ! Look, he's with another girl as well, why would you feel guilty ?! »

Catherine stood up and went to the window. She looked at the sea, the waves, the wonderful landscape she missed so much « I don't feel guilty...I feel lost Kono, being back here, it brings out too much memories, memories of Steve...I feel stupid I brought Jake with me ! ».

Kono stared at her friend, she looked so vulnerable...« You still love him, right ? You still love Steve... »

Tears began to form in Catherine's eyes. « I don't know Kono...I don't know what to think anymore...look, I already took way too much of my energy trying to forget him. Today is a big day for Chin and Abby. Steve is with Lynn, and I came with Jake, I have to keep my head clear ! I feel like I'm teenager sometimes! »

Kono didn't know what to say, so she just gave Catherine a gentle hug and whispered «Yeah, you should think like that ».

Catherine was so happy she was able to talk in total honesty with Kono, she realized how much she missed her when she was abroad...

« We should unpack your stuffs so we could join the other » said Catherine

« That's a great initiative ! By the way I love your outfit ! Dresses fit you really well, you should wear them more often ! » Kono replied, while looking at Catherine.

She was wearing a short purple dress, a casual one, and her hair were tied in a ponytail.

« Aww you're too sweet to me ! »

They continued to do what they had to do...until it was finished.

« Okay, I'm done unpacking, should we go then ? » Kono asked

« Yes, YES, let's go ! I can't wait to see everyone ! » Catherine said. If she was being honest with herself, she just wanted to run, to take a plane and to leave Hawaii, but she had to not lose her cool and to do the rational thing : stay calm and be composed in Steve's presence. Not to choke with sadness or anger.

Kono and Catherine then began to walk towards the wedding reception place.

* * *

In the meantime, Steve was still confused by the feelings he had. He was mad at her. He was mad she was coming with someone, he was mad she was actually seeing somebody else but him ! _I'm going to spend such a bad day_ , he said to himself. _Okay calm down Steve, you're a grown up, stop acting like a spoiled kid, she doesn't owe you anything..._

« Jake, his name is Jake ! I found him on the seating plan !» Danny said louder

« What Jake ? What are you talking about ? Weren't you suppose to be with Melissa on the phone ? », said Steve sharply

« Catherine's date, boyfriend, lover, whatever...his name is Jake, Jake Foley...that's a good name don't you think ?! And yes I was on the phone with Melissa, she won't be there until the ceremony begins ! ».

Steve felt like he could lose his temper but he tried hard not to « Leave me alone with this Danny, I told you I was okay with it ! »

« Then why do you look like you're pissed off ? »

« Because you're the one who piss me off with this story Danny ! Just let it go okay, today is an important day, I don't want it to be ruined by your stupid comments ! »

As they were talking, they saw Adam approaching with another man. Steve knew who it was the second he saw him.

« Hey guys ! You have new hands to help you ! We heard you had issues with the overheard projector ! » said Adam loudly ! He then greeted Steve and Danny. Jake decided to do the same.

« Jake, nice to meet you! »

Jake shook Danny's hand, then Steve's one which were kind of a hard handshake.

« Nice to meet you too Jake ! I'm Danny, and this is Steve ! »

Steve just nodded, but remained silence. He hoped this guy would be ugly, but Jake was the total opposite. He could have been a model. And he was taller than him, even this little detail will make him even more jealous ! This guy didn't do anything to him but Steve wanted to smash his face !

« So Jake, are you related to the future married couple ? » asked Danny who already knew the answer.

« Hum, no, not at all, I never met them ! but my girlfriend knows them very well ! Her name's Catherine, maybe you know her ! » said Jake in a simple way

Steve had a lump in his throat. Hearing somebody referring to Catherine as « my girlfriend » was something so hard to hear.

« Ooooooow you're Catherine's boyfriend ! Yes yes we know her very very well ! Actually Steve used to be with her for several years but don't worry now it's just an old story ! Isn't it Steven ? » Danny asked, knowing he made Steve angry.

Steve wanted to kill Danny, he gave him a devil glance, but decided to keep his pride « Yes, yes..sorry for this Jake, Danny has a very big mouth, he can never shut up ! How do find Hawaii ? »

Jake felt kind of awkward « Hmm...Hmm yeah yeah it looks like a beautiful island.. I'm sorry I hope you don't feel uncomfortable or... »

« Don't worry man ! It's fine ! But just don't listen to Danny too much, he's a pain in the ass ! » Steve replied

« He's mean, he's really mean don't you think ?! » Danny interrupted !

Jake laughed, but he felt really uncomfortable. So this was Catherine's ex-boyfriend. Steve. He looked good, very handsome. But she never really talk about him, he just knew she had a relationship with a guy who would be there at the wedding and there he was. This ex had an impressive stature...but anyway, Catherine was with him now and he wasn't the « jealous guy » at all.

« Okay I'm going to help Adam over there ! See you later ! » said Jake

« Yeah... » Steve said in a whisper...Why felt his heart so painful all of a sudden ? Why all he could think about was Catherine dumping this man and coming back to him ? Why didn't he even care about Lynn right now ? Steve had a lot of pride, and knew how to hide his real feelings, but seeing this guy, this Jake, things were getting worse. How will he deal when he will see him with Catherine ? This was supposed to be such a beautiful day...

« He looks nice » said Danny quietly

« Shut up Danny ! You're such a child sometimes ! I wanted to strangle you, you know that ?! »

« You said you were okay with it Steve ! »

« Yeah but you didn't have to make people feel uncomfortable like this ». Steve rolled his eyes and decided to go back to the things he was doing. Everything was ready, except for this overheard projector, but Adam and Jake were trying to install it properly. They didn't seem like they needed help.

Steve was angry. He was mad at Danny. Mad at Catherine. Mad at Jake. But mostly mad at him. Because he had no rights to feel that way. He was the one who said to Catherine that he wouldn't wait for her when she went on that mission 2 years ago. He's the one who never trully admitted his real deep feelings to her, he's the one who slept with another girl just 4 months after Cath was gone. He was the one who was with Lynn when Catherine came to his house a year ago, asking him to help her to find Doris. He was the one to blame. She wasn't the one to blame. She had to go on this mission, it was her job. He could have wait, _she would have said yes_...

He then heard Adam « Oh look who's here ! Two beautiful ladies ! ». Adam was watching the door where Kono and Catherine had enter. Catherine smiled at Adam and Jake, as she already saw them in the morning, she went straight to Danny, who was close to the door as well.

« Look at you, still so pretty after 2 years Catherine, c'mon give me a hug » said Danny.

« It's nice to see you Danny, really » said Catherine with a soft voice. It was so good, indeed, to see him again. At this moment, she already knew Steve was looking at her. She was so nervous !

When Steve saw Catherine walking towards him, his lungs made contact with something unreal, like there wasn't enough oxygen in the room. He felt stupid as his heart rate speed up.

« Hi » she said, thinking she sounded ridiculous. Her face spread into a shy smile. He smiled back.

« Hi Cath...it's good to see you... »

It was like the time had stopped. They were lost in each other eyes and they both hope nobody was noticing this...

« Hmm, I assume you already met Jake » said Catherine

Steve took this as a provocation but decided to remain calm.

« Yeah, yes...looks like a good guy ! » Steve said but wasn't looking in her eyes anymore

Catherine could feel the tension « Kono just told me Lynn couldn't make it, I'm sorry ! »

« Nah it's alright, think I'll have a lot of other things to do tonight ! » Steve said, he actually couldn't look at her anymore, he was definitely hurt « Hmm I need to head back home, see you later at the wedding ! »

Catherine noticed that Steve acted really weird, she felt guilty to be with Jake but she wasn't cheating on Steve. They weren't together anymore. But seeing him again made her realize that all the efforts she has done this whole year were now destroyed. She still loved him. Otherwise she wouldn't feel like she almost couldn't breathe.

« I have to go to my place, seems like everything is ready here for tonight ! I have to go home and to take my stuffs to the Paradise Bay Resort !» said Steve to the others

He walked away and sat in his car. Steve took a deep breath. This woman, she still had an effect on him, a huge effect. He was jealous, he was mad, he was sad. That's when he understood. He understood he would never love any other woman than her. He wanted to tell her so many things, he wanted to tell her he still loved her, he wanted to apologize, but what was the point ? It was too late now...

 _To be continued..._


	5. Chapter 4 - The hardest part

_Thank you for the comments, the follows, the favs and the views, really ! Hope you'll enjoy this new chapter with a McRoll moment in it._

* * *

« What's wrong? You haven't talk much since this morning... » Jake asked Catherine.

It was the middle of the afternoon. After they made sure everything was ready at the reception place and had lunch with Kono and Adam, Catherine and Jake went back at their hotel room and were getting ready for the ceremony which will take place in an hour.

It was true, she felt totally in another world, her mind travelled back to Steve. The way they looked at each other this morning, it was something special. She knew him well and she was sure she saw pain in his eyes, deception as well, but also something else, like nostalgia maybe ? She still found him so attractive, he had a new haircut she liked a lot and she realized how she had missed everything about him : his eyes, his voice, his smile...

« Catherine ? Do you hear me ? » Jake asked again

« Yeah sorry Jake ! I'm sorry, I'm just a little bit tired I guess... » she lied

« I find you a little bit distant with me »

« What ? No ! No...you look great in that suit ! »

« You're changing the topic so something is wrong, tell me, I can hear anything » said Jake, putting his shoes on.

« Jake, please... »

« It's him isn't it ? The man from this morning, your ex...I saw the way you said hello to each other, it was...I don't know...awkward... ! »

« Awkward ? »

« Yeah... I know what it's like to have an ex around...you don't like him being around now, but you don't have to see him tonight don't worry, there will be a lot of people ! And if he bothers you tonight, you just tell me ! You know you can ignore him ! ».

Catherine was speechless. Jake was blind apparently, very naive. All she wanted was to see Steve and to spend time with him, even though she knew it was impossible as they were both in new relationships. But she couldn't be mad at Jake, he was just being him.

« Jake no... we're good friends now, he has a girlfriend and well, I...I have you.. »

« Wow you look convinced by what you're saying!...Just kidding ! »

Catherine wanted to tell him : _You're right, I'm not convinced, I still love Steve, I'm sorry, this is over, you should go back to Washington right now !_ But instead, she remembered the image of her seeing Lynn in Steve's house a year ago. This scene broke her heart that day, and she cried that night when she was on the plane to Morocco with Steve who felt asleep. She cried the day after, and so many other nights or days. Actually she was still hurt today, knowing Steve was with someone else. That's why she allowed herself to let go and to find someone nice to comfort her. And that someone was Jake. Except that today, it was like she forgot how she suffered from all of this. When 2 years ago, Steve told her _« I can't wait for you, not anymore... »_ , she thought he was just saying this because he was mad at her, leaving him again for a mission. They never really broke up. She left for a mission, but never said _« It's over »_. And when she came back a year ago to tell him about Doris, she had hope they could be together again. Then she saw Lynn and everything changed in her mind, it was like an electric shock.

« I should do my make-up now. Why don't you go on the balcony, enjoy the view, we're not here for long » Catherine smiled at Jake. She felt like she was so mean to him. She was here with a man but was thinking about another man. She wanted to be the most beautiful she'd ever been, not for Jake, but for Steve. Maybe she wanted him to be jealous ? Like, _look what you've lost !_

She was wearing a half golden,half white chic dress, which stopped at her knees, with golden stilletos, perfect long hair with some curls, and a more than perfect make-up. She looked stunning and she knew it. Catherine looked at herself a last time in the mirror, smiled at her perfect reflection. Chin and Abby's wedding will begin in 30 minutes. She knew Kono and Adam went to the beach where the ceremony would take place earlier, as Kono was Chin's witness. She wondered if Steve was already over there as well.

« Okay Jake, I'm ready, we should go to have good seats !» shouted Catherine so Jake, who was staring at the sea from the balcony, could hear her.

Jake turned to face her. His eyes were huge ! « I...You...Wow...You're...Wow ! Like...wow... ». He couldn't believe how beautiful she looked. She was always very beautiful but tonight there weren't words to describe her, she was more than beautiful, more than stunning, more than wonderful, more than everything !

She blushed a little bit « Thank you...you look great too you know..should we go then ? »

« Absolutely ! Let's go ! Don't forget your purse ! » he said while they both headed to the door. They then took the elevator and left the hotel to walk until the beach which were very near, just next to the place where the dinner and the party would take place.

Catherine was relieved she didn't met Steve in the hallway or at the hotel reception, as she knew most of the guests had a room there, Steve included.

* * *

Steve was already on the beach. He was chatting with Chin and Kono, there were only 30 minutes left before the beginning of the ceremony and more and more guests had arrived and took place already.

« I'm so proud of you Chin, I'm sure this will be an amazing wedding ! We all can't wait to see what Abby looks like, she'll be so beautiful wearing a wedding dress ! » Steve said with a big smile and gave a hug to Chin.

Chin chuckled, he was so nervous, it wasn't an easy moment to wait for the guests and for the bride, knowing everyone will look at them. « Thank you, I'm so nervous right now, do I look like I'm nervous ? »

« Cuz', you look perfect, don't even doubt that » Kono replied

« Do you have the rings Kono ? » Chin asked, suddenly panicked

« Hey hey hey relax Chin, Abby's sister has the rings remember ! » said Kono trying to relax her cousin

« Relax man, everything will be alright, just don't worry ! Ok...I see Danny and Melissa, I'm going to have a seat...good luck Chin », Steve winked at Chin and gave him another « man hug ».

«Hi Melissa, you look great ! » Steve said while greeting Danny's girlfriend

« Of course my girl looks amazing! » Danny said « So, where's the rival ? » he whispered to Steve, who rolled his eyes

« You won't leave me alone with this don't you ? »

« No I won't »

Steve remembered the image of Catherine the same morning, the way he couldn't look at her when she mentionned Jake. The way he left the place because he couldn't be in the same room than her and her « boyfriend ». He spent all his afternoon in his hotel room, after he took the stuffs he needed from his house. When he arrived at the hotel around 12.30 pm, he asked the receptionist in which room were his « _friend Jake Foley »,_ so he would know the chances he had to run into him, or her. They were on the third floor, room number 53. He was on the third floor, room 48. Same floor but other corridor. He just ate a sandwich he had bought for lunch and then watched the TV, changed the channels all the time, took a shower, put his suit on, a perfect black suit, with a white shirt underneath and a black tie, black shoes. He looked perfect on the outside, but was broken in the inside. All he could think about, all day long, was Catherine. He didn't want her to be with Jake. He wanted her to be on a lot of missions abroad and not have time to have relationships. _How selfish am I,_ he kept saying to himself. _Maybe if I really see her with him tonight I will stop thinking like this and will be really happy for her. Maybe I should talk to her. Or maybe not...Or maybe I should talk to him?Or maybe I should do nothing at all and avoid them, yeah I should definitely do that !_

« Well you should stop so we can all enjoy our friends's wedding Danny » said Steve, Danny really knew how to get on his nerves.

Steve looked at his watch and turn around to see the familiar faces, he waved and smiled at Max and Sabrina who where seated on the other side, same row but on the left side of the aisle. Then while he was looking behind, he saw her, he saw Catherine. She was walking with her hand in Jake's hand. Steve's turned his head to look in front of him immediatly and closed his eyes a few seconds. His heart was beating faster and faster _Please don't sit near me, please go on the other side, please please please._

Catherine was looking for 2 seats and she spotted two places next to Max and Sabrina. Steve was relieved she wasn't on the row in front of him where there were still 2 seats available. He tried to look at her again, she didn't see he was looking at her as she was talking to Sabrina. Steve thought she looked more beautiful than ever. She loved how she had curls in her hair, how she wore her dress perfectly.

She knew he was looking at her. She knew he knew she was there. She could feel it, but she didn't dare to look back. So she pretended like she was totally comfortable with everyone, joked with Max and Sabrina, but God, she wanted so desperately to look at him. Before she even knew it, she turned her head. Their eyes met, and she faked a huge smile to him while waving her hand. He waved back, shyly with a very small smile. Then, they both looked in another direction, pretending everything was okay. This was going to be a loooong evening.

Suddenly, the piano began to play and everyone turned their heads back to look if Abby was there. And yes, there she was, with her dad, walking down the aisle, with a beautiful smile. Abby was beautiful, her wedding dress was very simple but sophisticated in the same time. Chin had tears in his eyes. He was going to marry the woman he loved...

When they said yes to each other, everyone applaused and Catherine had tears in her eyes, she was so happy for her friends, and in the same time so sad this moment might never happen to her.

Steve saw her as she looked for a tissue in her purse, he saw that Jake put a hand around her waist and kissed her forehead. He was supposed to have a good time. But instead he was sad, thinking he might never be a married man, thinking he should have propose to Catherine sooner, thinking she would have say yes.

As the ceremony ended, Chin and Abby walked the aisle under everybody's applause. They were now a married couple, for better or for worse.

The guests began to walk to the Ko'olau Ballrooms, Steve walked with Duke and his wife, Danny and Melissa, Max and Sabrina. He felt alone. So he walked faster to reach Nahele and Kamekona, who where there as single men as well.

Catherine was way behind him, talking with Jake and introducing him to Jerry and Flippa.

* * *

Arrived at the wedding reception place, they all took their names to see on what table they were. Each tables had 8 chairs. Steve was at the table number 3 with Nahele, Danny and Melissa, Duke and his wife, Max and Sabrina. Coincidence or not, Catherine was at the table number 2, which was the table just next to table 3, so very close to it, with Jake, Adam and Kono, Flippa and Kamekona, Jerry and finally Eric, Danny's nephew.

As Catherine approached to see her table, she saw Steve, already on his chair. She decided she should say hi to everyone so she began with Melissa, and Jake did the same as he said hello to everyone on Steve's table. When he saw Steve, he just said « Hi ». Steve replied with the same word. Jake then went on his table and sat on his chair, letting Cath some space to chat with her old friends. He decided to talk about conspiracy theories concerning the death of Lady Diana with Jerry, who was glad to have someone who had similar interests as his.

It was time for Catherine to greet Steve. _Act normal, don't be nervous Catherine !_ She said to herself.

« Hey Sailor ! » she hugged him like friends would do « You look great in that suit ! » she had a huge smile on her face. She was impressed by her acting talent.

« And you look beautiful ! » said Steve, who tried to act as neutral as possible « I like the curls ! »

Catherine blushed, as she didn't expect any compliments from him.

« It wasn't easy to do the curls myself, but thank you Steve...it's...it was a great ceremony don't you think ? »

« Oh, absolutely ! They both look so happy, I'm so happy for them... » he said, looking deeper in her eyes. God how beautiful was she. He wanted to make everyone disappear and to kiss her, right now. Right here.

« Me too... » Catherine said with a bit of sadness in her voice « Ok.. I..I..should go to my table, see you later ! » and she walked fast to go to her chair.

 _See you later..._ said Steve in his head. He sat as he noticed he couldn't see Catherine or Jake from his place as he had his back to them. That was a good thing for him. But unfortunately, Danny could see everything and he was the one who always gave curious look to Catherine's place.

« Right now he's talking with Jerry and she's talking with Kono... » whispered Danny in Steve's ear.

« Stop it, would you ? Like really...stop it Danny ! I don't give a damn alright ?! »

Danny had a sarcastic laugh. Fortunately the music was loud enough and we couldn't hear people talk properly except if they were very close to each other. People were dancing, talking, eating, Chin and Abby were kissing each other...

Catherine was not having fun. She tried to act normal but deep down she wanted to cry. It was very hard, being there, with a view on Steve's back. She wanted to be next to him, she wanted to laugh with him, she wanted to dance with him. She wanted to kiss him.

Steve was lost in his thoughts as he watched people dance, he didn't want to dance, he just wanted to go home. To go home and to sleep, because it was the only moments he would not think about Catherine. Maybe he would get drunk to forget.

As the slow song « Amazing Day » from Coldplay came on, Jake reached his hand to Catherine's one and asked her «Please, would you dance with me ? »

She wasn't sure. She didn't want to hurt Steve. But she decided she should dance so she would forget. That's what she expected...as she went on the dancefloor with Jake, she saw it was fulled with couples. _I shouldn't be here dancing with you, I should be dancing with him_ , she said in her head. Steve saw as she went on the dancefloor with Jake. His heart sank...he decided to look away and began a random conversation with Nahele. It hurted so much. He wanted to leave.

Catherine knew that Steve saw her going on the dancefloor with Jake. She was going to cry, the song had such a sad melody and she missed Steve so much...she had to go somewhere else, now, right now

« Hum...sorry Jake but I really have to go to the toilet ! Please don't worry, woman stuff you know, I owe you another dance later.. »

« Woman stuff, yeah I understand, but.. »

« Don't worry alright ! I'll be right back ! »

She walked fast to exit the dancefloor, her back was now turned to Jake's face. Her eyes met Steve's ones. She looked quickly at the floor, hoping he didn't see how sad she was and decided to walk as fast as possible somewhere else, where she could cry without anyone noticing. Was it the fault of the song ?

As she walked in an empty hallway, her golden stilletos clacking against the marble, the memories she had tried to suppress for the past few hours had come flooding back. She finally stopped walking when she heard footsteps behind her. She did not turn around. She did not need to. She knew the sound of his footsteps...

« Cath... » His voice called.

She wanted to run. She needed fresh air...but she couldn't...

« Cath...you alright ? » asked Steve

They were alone in the empty hallway leading to the staff members who worked for the wedding, the sound of the music was far...

« I...I'm fine.. »

« I know when you lie... »

She looked at him, her eyes full of tears.

Steve could see something was obviously wrong, he thought it was something Jake said to her which made her feel upset, until he realized, by the way she looked at him, that it seemed more serious than this. Steve took a step toward her, they were now very close. At the same time that Catherine's brain started to register that she was alone with him in an empty hallway, her body started registering Steve's proximity. She couldn't think anymore. Tears began to fall from her eyes.

« Catherine...hey..hey..tell me what's wrong... » Steve decided to put his hands around her to comfort her.

The smell of his skin and his warmth wrap around her caused her pulse to speed up. Catherine made eye contact with Steve, then automaticcally looked down at his mouth, which was closer now. She swallowed thickly. Steve found it difficult to catch his breath. Both of their bodies were betraying them, and before they could even think about stopping, they were kissing each other, Catherine tilting her head up to meet him, kissing slowly.

They both lost their breath immediately because it felt so good and so right. Because she smelled so incredible he felt like he's been drugged, and he was so warm against her that she felt like she was melting into him. The place was silent except from the music they could hear far away. They could hear the soft, wet sound of their kisses as well.

Steve took his hand and put it behind Catherine's neck. The feeling of his touch against her neck was so electrifying, such a shock, that it slams her back into reality. Catherine's eyes flew open and she quickly broke the kiss and put her back to him. _No no no, what have we done ?_ she thought.

Steve was standing at the same place, completely still, looking at her with an unreadable expression., his eyes wide. She turned to look at him again, they stared at each other a few moments without a word. Then , she decided to take a tentative step toward him, but he decided to take two steps back, and in the next second, he turned and quickly walked away from her...

 _To be continued..._


	6. Chapter 5 - I belong to you

_Once again, thank you to all of you who read my story even if I can do some mistakes ( I'm French^^). Thank you to the people who review under « Guest » and « Laura », and thanks to all the other as well, many many many thanks ! It means a lot to me ! Hope you'll like this new chapter. I used a « Scandal » small dialog in this, that I found was perfect for this chapter. Xoxo,Vanou_

 _"And the view, the whole Milky Way_

 _In your eyes, I'm drifting away_

 _And in your arms, I just wanna sway_

 _Amazing day, Amazing day..."_

It's when Catherine heard these lyrics, while dancing the song with Jake, that she couldn't take it anymore. These lyrics wanted to make her cry because she wasn't dancing on this song with the right person. Steve saw her, followed her and it happened. They kissed, but she broke it. And he left.

Now she was left all alone in this empty hallway, and the tears just couldn't stop. Did it really happen or was this all in her head ? _No no no, it was real, we kissed...we kissed,_ Catherine said to herself. It wasn't clear who started the kiss. All she knew was that they kissed for several seconds but that she stopped it. She was even more lost than she was before. She had to go back with the other, or Jake and Kono would look for her. But before, she had to find a mirror to see if her eyes were red or if her make up was ruined, then she could go back with the other and either try to have fun and forget she just kissed Steve, or find him and ask him what just happened. She couldn't decide right now so she just stayed a little bit more alone, trying to think of what was the best thing she should do.

Meanwhile, Steve got out of the hallway where she kissed Catherine. He rushed himself to his seat, he became motionless and stared into space and his mind worked a lot ! _She stopped the kiss, I shouldn't have kiss her, this is stupid, I can't see her anymore now, I'm getting used to the fact I always fall for her... she broke my heart twice ! Well, even 3 times now that she's coming here, in Hawaii, with this Jake !Then she kissed me and make me feel stupid and guilty...she's playing with my feelings, again !_

« Hey babe, I was looking for you, where have you been ? You're alright ? » Danny asked, who decided to rest a little bit after long minutes on the dancefloor.

« Yeah, I'm fine, where's Melissa? » Steve replied, trying to stay as nothing happened

« She's dancing, look she's over there ! Dancing like Beyoncé !I'll have another drink then I'll go back ! Come with us, you haven't dance since the beginning of the evening, the only ones who don't dance are some old people and you! Come on ! I'll show you my Michael Jackson's moves !»

Steve took his glass and poured wine in it, drank it rapidly, and did the same twice after he finished his first glass

Danny looked at him with big eyes « Easy man, there will be enough wine ! Leave some for me ! »

He had mixed feelings, he never felt that way, he couldn't describe it...pain, despair, shame, anger ?

The song « You Rock my World » from Michael Jackson began to play.

« THIS IS A SIGN ! MICHAEL IS IN MY BODY ! » Danny said, excited like a little boy « Come on Steven, show me your moves ! »

Steve got up and went on the dancefloor, he wanted to please Danny and also, he wanted to enjoy Chin and Abby's wedding a little more, because up to now, he wasn't having fun at all, not because it wasn't a beautiful moment, but because Catherine was here. With Jake. And he just kissed her a few minutes ago. And now the whole situation will be even more awkward !

As he went on the dancefloor, he saw most of the guests were dancing, the place was filled ! He could see how everyone was happy, laughing, dancing, being together !

He saw Jake was friendly dancing with Kono, Adam danced with Chin and Abby, Jerry, Lou, Kamekona, everybody was there ! Steve began to dance as well. He was a good dancer, always in the rhythm « Yeah McGarrett look at this ! » Lou said, laughing as it was the first time he really saw her boss do real dance moves. It felt good, dancing with his friends, but even this moment couldn't make him forget Catherine. _Where is she ? Is she gonna pretend that nothing happened ?_ _Is she gonna tell Jake ?_ Steve wondered while trying to avoid looking bad. When the song ended, he went with Kamekona and poured himself some other glasses of alcohol. He needed it. Right now, alcohol made him feel good, better and better. He knew it wasn't the right thing to do but he had nothing to lose now. He wanted to forget, and what's better than alcohol to help him !

* * *

It's been 5 minutes since Catherine exited the hallway and saw that everyone was happily dancing. She couldn't see Steve, he was certainly dancing as well, doing as if nothing happened. His pride had been affected, she knew it. She spotted Jake and waved at him, to reassure him. Her make-up was alright and her eyes weren't red anymore, but she still had a sad look on her face.

Jake approached her « Hey ! I've been looking for you ! Don't you want to dance ? »

« My stilettos are hurting my feet like hell ! » she said, pretending she couldn't dance because of them.

« Oh come on, you survived in the Army and now you give up because of heels ? » Jake teased her

« Okay, moreover... I owe you a dance ! » Catherine said, with, again, a huge fake smile.

Jake took her by her right hand and led her towards the dancefloor. She began to dance like the others, she certainly knew how to dance !

« Yeah Rollins I like that ! » Kono said, looking at her friend and feeling happy she was dancing!

Catherine was able to sight Steve dancing, several metres further. _Okay, he really looks like he doesn't care about what just happened. He annoys me sometimes!I'm sure he does that on purpose !_ Catherine thinks to herself. It was hard for her to think properly. She felt like she was in a movie. Her day had been way too emotionally overloaded. She danced a few more songs so Jake or Kono won't ask any questions, but when she saw Steve leaving the dance area, she decided to follow him, and acted as natural as possible to Jake, who was having a lot of fun dancing

« I'll go talk a little bit with old friends okay ?! You know I'm not here for too long, but keep dancing ! You're good at it » ! Catherine said to Jake, who was a bit tipsy and enjoying every songs.

« No worries lady ! Take all the time you need I'm fine here ! » Jake shouted so she could hear him.

« Hey where do you think you're going ? » Kono asked Catherine

« Oh ! I haven't talk a lot with a few people here, I'll be right back don't worry ! »

Catherine saw Steve, he was having another drink and went outside of the Ko'olau Ballrooms building. She saw him as he walked alone in the beautiful garden, which was surrounded by palm trees, beautiful flowers, and of course with the beach nearby. It was dark outside, the sky was full of stars, and there was a pleasant soft wind.

There were a few guests outside, couples who were kissing, friends who were laughing or taking pictures...Steve walked until he felt the sand touching his shoes. He stopped, looked at the sea, it was calm and relaxing. He took a deep breath and drank a sip of his glass. He was drinking way too much, but he wasn't drunk yet.

« Maybe we should talk about what happened... » Steve turned around and saw that Catherine was there, staring at him with her beautiful brown eyes. She gave him a slight half smile.

Steve sighed and turned his face to stare at the sea again. Without looking at her, he said :

« I don't think there's anything to talk about...you were upset and sometimes, you know, when people are upset, they do mistakes...»

Catherine couldn't believe he was being so stubborn.

« So, this is about Jake ? You think I made a mistake ? » she asked, she wanted him to be angry at her, because when he was angry, his feelings could explode.

« I don't care about Jake ! » he lied,full of pride but his voice was still soft « You're happy with him, good for you Cath...anyway, we're both unavailable. You're unavailable »

« So, this is about Lynn ? » asked Catherine, her voice being colder

Steve then turned around and look at Catherine « What ? No ! This is...I don't want to talk to you Catherine, this, all of this...this is just a waste of time ! I can't even enjoy my friends' wedding correctly ! »

« So you're blaming me for being here ? Oh sorry !I didn't know this island and the team were your property... » she said, louder, wanting to provoke him

« You're being annoying Catherine ! You have to know what you want ! First you kiss me, then you stop, then you dance with Jake, then you want an explanation... » Steve said, he was pissed off by the conversation, but in the same time he wanted to tell her how much it was good when they kissed, how right that felt...

« I kissed you ?! It takes 2 persons to kiss, and you didn't stop me ! So WE kissed each other Steve, why...why are you doing this ? I though we could talk, like adults you know...anyway..let it go », Catherine said, it was her turn to be really mad at him.

Catherine wanted to slap him in the face for being so narrow-minded. She closed her eyes a few seconds, shook her head, and began to walk away. They should stop the conversation now...but she heard Steve saying « Yeah, go away like you always do... »

« I'm sorry what did you say ? » unsure she heard the right words.

« I said GO AWAY LIKE YOU ALWAYS DO Catherine ! this is what you're best at, leaving ! »

Catherine was speechless, again, and now was the perfect time to have a good discussion, he just said the perfect sentence !

« You're the one who went with another girl only a few months after I left Steve...So don't put the blame on me... » she remained to stay calm

« You're the one who left me Catherine ! Twice actually ! Congrats ! And then you come here with your boyfriend but you kiss me instead !» he said, laughing angrily,knowing he was getting on her nerves.

« I never left you Steve, you're the one who said you couldn't wait for me anymore...and then you gave me the bad role in all this story », tears began to form in her eyes « I never, EVER, told you it was over, YOU said you couldn't wait for me and YOU went with somebody else first ! Do you even know how I felt when I saw Lynn ?! And now I should feel guilty to be with Jake ?!»

« Do you love him ? » Steve asked her. This question took her by surprise. He had an inquiring voice, an inquiring face. He wasn't answering her previous comments, and now he was asking something she never expected.

« I'm sorry ? » she said, surprised

« Do you love him ? Jake...Do you love him ? »

« I can't believe you're asking me this question Steve, like...you turn everything in your advantage ! »

« I waited for you Catherine ! I watched for you ! My whole life was you ! I couldn't breathe because I was waiting for you ! You owned me !You controlled me !I...I belonged to you ! » Steve had fury in his eyes.

Catherine felt she was going to explode, and that's what happened...  
 ** **  
«**** You owned me ! You controlled me ! I belonged to you ! You think I didn't want to be with you? You think that I didn't want to dedicate myself to our relationship? You don't think I wanted to be honorable? I loved you ! I LOVE YOU ! I'm IN LOVE with you ! You're the love of my life ! My every feeling is controlled by the look on your face ! I can't breathe without you !I can't sleep without you ! I wait for you !I watch for you !I EXIST for you ! If only I could escape all of this and run away with you…there's no Jake or Lynn here ! You're nobody's victim, Steve. I belong to you !We're in this together !You are the most important person in my life ! I can't just stop loving you ! Can you?! _»_

Catherine stopped here, she couldn't speak anymore, she felt the tears on her face, she was angry, she was sad, she was relieved that she finally told him everything she had inside. She was breathing heavily. She was waiting for an answer, but Steve stood there, like a statue « I...I should go, this is leading to nowhere... ». She turned her back to Steve and began walking in another direction.

Steve was shocked. Her words left him speechless. He couldn't pronounce a single word, no sounds could come out of his mouth... _Did she really say all of this ?_ Everything was a blur, he couldn't even see the landscapes properly. Without even knowing it, he was crying, warm tears flowing on his face. He let himself fall in the sand, he remained in a sitting position as he took his head in his hands, sobbing like he never did for a long time. _I wasted everything_ , he thought...

* * *

Meanwhile, Catherine was sitting on a bench, trying to calm herself down. She would have never imagine this would happen tonight. It was just too much. It was past 1 a.m now, she could hear the music, she could hear people having fun in the wedding reception hall, she could hear people talk, people laugh, some of them were drunk, others were already heading home, and there she was, all alone on a bench, thinking about the bomb she just dropped on Steve's head... _I should have never said that to him..._

« There you are ! God I was worried ! » said Jake, who went outside to look for her

« Hum...yeah sorry..I...I needed fresh air ! » Catherine kept her eyes down, so Jake won't see she was crying

« Hey..hey...why are you crying ? What happened ? » Jake asked, really worried

« Jake, nothing, really, I...I just...Jake I'm sorry...»

« Sorry for what Catherine ? I don't understand ! I'm worried right now ! »

« Jake...You don't deserve all of this...I lied to you...here it is, I said it..I lied to you... » Catherine said, hoping he knew what she was talking about

« God, what the hell are you talking about right now ? What lie ? ». Jake became more and more worried. He never saw her like this.

« About Steve...I'm sorry Jake, I..I wish I wouldn't be so stupid... » she began to cry very loud « I'm sorry... » she had to pause before she would continue « I kissed him...I kissed him tonight...I'm so sorry...» she said, crying, as she saw the deception in Jake's eyes

Jake looked at her intensely with a puzzled face

« You kissed your ex ? But..when ? Is it why you were so distant with me ? I thought he had a girlfriend ! Catherine...look..right now I just don't understand what's going on ! Have I done something wrong ? »

Even after she told him that, he was still nice to her, she wanted to yell at him for staying so calm and acting so comprehensively !

« Jake...Look... It wasn't planned at all! I didn't know it was going to happen ! I think I'm still in love with him Jake..I'm...I'm sure of it...and I'm sorry..I made you waste a whole year...I can't be with you, not anymore...I'm sorry, believe me...you don't deserve me... ». Catherine couldn't look in his eyes. She was ashamed...she turned away to hide her embarrassment.

« Wow...you're telling me this tonight...on our trip...during your friends' wedding...I..I can't believe it...I'm so stupid, I should have seen it... »

« No Jake please... you're not stupid ! Everything's my fault here ! » She stood up from the bench and touched his forearm, but he took a step back.

« I just can't believe it...I'm such a fool... » Jake said, putting his fingers on his mouth « Why now Catherine ? We had a great year together ! and now you just see him one day and you just lose control ? »

« I didn't know I would react like this...I'm...I don't even know what to say to you..I'm sorry... »

« God Catherine...I...Okay I should leave... »

« Jake, stop, you don't have to ! You can stay until monday and » Catherine said as she was quickly interrupted by Jake

« AND WHAT ? Be with you in the same room, knowing you kissed your ex and that you love him ? Take the plane with you and pretend nothing happened ? No...no..I'll go to the hotel, take my stuffs, go to the airport and take the first plane back to the mainland... » Jake said, his voice trembling. He tried not to weep in front of her but he had watery eyes.

Catherine said nothing. She was looking at the ground. She knew she hurted him, she knew he didn't deserve all of this, but she couldn't lie to him anymore, she couldn't lie to HER anymore. Jake had been the bandage to her broken heart but it was still bleeding...

«Well...goodbye Catherine...I'll let you explain to your friends why I left then... » Jake said to her as she still didn't reply... « Goddamn Catherine ! Say something ! Please ! » said Jake as he broke down in tears.

Catherine was still looking at the ground...she crossed her arms close to her chest and murmured « I'm sorry... »

Jake, in despair, knew it was better for him to go...Catherine saw him as he walked towards the road leading to the hotel. She whispered a last time for herself « _I'm sorry..._ » and decided to sit on the bench again. It was weird because she felt relieved to see him leave. She felt relieved because she will not have to lie to him anymore. She felt relieved because, somewhere, she released him from her lies. She waited, letting Jake enough time to pack his stuffs and to call a taxi, and then she began to walk towards her hotel room...she just texted Kono...

 **-I'm going to the hotel, I'm so tired, such a great wedding ! See ya tomorrow !**

 **-Okay sis' have a goodnight ! See ya tomorrow !**

Catherine walked like a ghost until the hotel, sobbing and shivering. She entered her room and saw that indeed, Jake had left. When she closed the door, she let herself fall onto the floor. She could barely breathe, she cried, she screamed, her sobs were so loud...

* * *

Steve, him, was still in the same position, sitting on the sandy beach for a long time now, but he was looking at the sea as if he was lost in it. His eyes were red but he had stop crying, although he still had a runny nose. He couldn't go back inside, not right now, he was too miserable and everyone will notice it. He decided to text Danny

 **-Can u meet me at the beach, just behind the garden, on the left side ?**

He waited 5 minutes before he had an answer

 **-I'll be right there !**

 **-Take a bottle and a glass for me**

 **-Deal**

As Danny arrived, he could see Steve wasn't fine...Danny frowned as he approached.

« What's the matter Steve ? »

« Bottle first » said Steve as he rushed his hand and graped the bottle of whisky Danny was holding.

He didn't even took the glass, he took the bottle and drank a huge sip.

« Hey hey easy ! I won't carry you until your bedroom tonight, I have other plan with Melissa if you know what I mean !»

Steve sighed deeply and decided to tell everything to Danny, while drinking between each sentence. He needed to talk to Danny, and even if he was annoying sometimes, he was a great friend, a loyal friend. Danny was shocked by what Steve told him.

« Buddy that's...that's unbelievable...I can't believe it...I don't know what advice I should give you... »

« I don't need your advices Danny, I just needed to talk to someone, and I did » Steve said as he took 2 other big sips of the whisky bottle

« So...what are you going to do ? How do you feel ? Are you going to tell Lynn ? Where is Catherine right now ? » Danny's mind was thinking fast

« Wait wait wait...too many questions here..just tell me one thing Danny... » Steve said, as he was more and more drunk

« Are Chin and Abby having a great time ? » Steve asked, concerned

« They do Steve, they are having a great time and a beautiful wedding... »

« Great..that's great... » Steve whispered...he looked at the bottle of whisky and saw it was almost empty « Be nice Danny, go and bring me another bottle, I need it », Steve said, his head was rocking back and forth. His eyes were red of tiredness, sadness and mostly because he drank way too much.

« Sorry buddy but I think you drank enough for tonight...I'm going to take you to the hotel alright, and you'll have a peaceful and restorative sleep...then tomorrow morning you'll have a clean brain and we will meet with everyone at the party room for the brunch. I'll even knock to your door so we'll go together...then we'll talk about what to do...great idea right ? »

Steve nodded...he just wanted to sleep. He stood up and almost fall because of all the alcohol he consumed, but Danny caught him before « Okay you're really very drunk right now... » Danny felt bad for his friend, it was the first time in 7 years he saw Steve in this state. Danny helped Steve to walk until the Paradise Bay Resort, he went with him until Steve's room and sat him on the bed.

« Okay Steve, now you're going to have a nice sleep alright...I'll let my phone in my pocket so if you need anything, you just call me... ». Steve chuckled and said « I'm sorry man...wow I'm wasted... » Steve eyes were so heavy...Danny knew it was time to leave his friend a bit alone, so he just said « Goodnight Steven... » and he went out of Steve's room and went back to the wedding party, which was still not over.

Steve waited 2 minutes and stood up from his bed. His balance was low. But he needed to see her. He needed to see Catherine. He needed to talk to her. He remembered the number of Jake and Cath's room. Room number 53.

He exited his hotel room and began to walk towards Catherine's room. It was the opposite corridor and everything was so quiet, empty...He had to blink his eyes several times when he looked for the number 53, still drunk. When he saw the door, he knocked...but he had no answers..so he knocked harder...with his fist...

« Catherine ! » he shouted, his voice very loud « Cath, please...I know you're here ! Catherine ! ». There were still no answers.. « Catherine...open the door... »

And she opened the door, with streaming eyes...

« Catherine...you're here... » Steve said, blinking his eyes « Where is Jake ? » was the first question he asked

« He's gone...What do you want ?...» she asked, her soft voice trembling « What do you want Steve ? » Catherine asked again

« Do you still love me ?... » he entered her room, closed the door, and walked toward her

« Stop it Steve.. you're drunk...and you're sad... » she said, moving away from him

« Catherine...do you...still...love me ? That's a yes or no question... »

Catherine hesitated, but after a few seconds, the words came out by themselves « I do...but it doesn't matter Steve, not anymore... » Catherine replied, still sadly...

« Cath...please...listen to me...just stand here with me for one minute. Let's not talk, or think, or...everything...for one minute we just stand here...one minute please...just...stand here...one minute » Steve said, looking in her eyes

They were both on the edge of breaking down in tears...

 _To be continued..._


	7. Chapter 6 - Is it any wonder

_Once again, thank you very much for your kind words ! I will try to update once a week now that the bank holidays are over in France :p I hope you'll enjoy this new chapter as much as I loved writing it._

* * *

Catherine couldn't wait for one minute. She was so tired, exhausted, with silent tears...and the man in front of her, Steve, was silently crying as well. She didn't know what to think.

Was he sensitive because of the alcohol ? She thought about it, because he wasn't the kind of person to express his emotions, even in moments like this. _He's crying because he's drunk...he won't even remember any of this tomorrow, I know him way too well..._

« Steve, I don't want to stand here with you...Not right now, not when you're drunk... » Catherine said and went on the other side of her room, looking at the windows. It was very quiet...she could hear the waves, she could see the stars...

Steve was still at the same place. Yes, he was drunk, but he wanted to talk to her. He was honest. He watched her, his eyes were hurting him, they were heavy, so warm, so red.

« What do you want from me right now then Cath... » he said, allowing himself to sat on her bed

Catherine sighed, she was lost. She didn't came here to suffer, she just wanted to attend her friends' wedding, but instead, all she was thinking about since the morning she arrived was Steve. And now he was there, in her hotel room, as lost as her, drunk. Jake was gone. She was a mess.

« I'm mad at myself Steve you know...not at you. I'm mad for always being nice, always apologizing for things I didn't do, for getting attached, for making you my life, depending on you, wasting my time on you, wishing for you, dreaming of you...But most of all, for not hating you, which I know I should...But I just can't... »

Steve nodded. « I know how you feel...you'd like to hate me so it would be easier to forget me... »

Catherine turned her face away from the window and looked at him. She saw honesty in his eyes, which were still very red « You always make me the bad one Steve, telling people I left you twice...making me feel guilty, but that's not fair... » she said. Catherine couldn't believe they had such a deep conversation right now. Listening to each other, showing each other their real emotions.

Steve let his back fall on her bed, he closed his eyes because they were hurting him by their warmth and their tiredness.

« You know Cath... » he began « Sometimes I wish that I had never met you...»

Catherine was really hurt by what he just said, but she wanted him to continue, so she didn't interrupt him.

« I wish that I had never met you...then there would be no need to impress you. No need to want you. No need for heartbreaks. No need for pain...for forgotten promised...no need for acting like you care or for everything you've done to make me feel like absolutely nothing... » Steve told her

Catherine was very upset by all of this. « Because you think it was easy for me ? Simple ? You walked away from me Steve...by not waiting for me...you didn't even let me explain...You have to understand th.. » she wanted to finish her sentence but she was interrupted by Steve.

« You ruined me Catherine...you ruined me like hell... » he said, his eyes still closed, as his put his hands over his face to rub it.

« You're the one who ruined me Steven ! How do you think I felt when I saw you replaced me so quickly ! You were having a romantic dinner with her when I came back last year ! Candles and everything, you never did this for me...never...and now you're the one telling me I ruined you ?! Once again, I'm the bad one ? YOU told me you coudn't wait for me BUT you keep saying I'm the one who left ? I went on a mission Steve, I didn't left you ! » her voice was now much louder as she could feel the anger in her body.

Steve stood up from the bed, he laughed and rolled his eyes. She hated when he did that. He looked so haughty !

« You left me once when you stayed in Afghanistan ! YOU told me I should move on Catherine ! Then you came back...and oh..what a surprise, a few weeks after YOU left again ! For a mission with MY mother. You knew you wouldn't stay when you came back for Kono's wedding 2 years ago, remember this ?! I couldn't wait for you any longer! Making my whole life always WAITING for you ! So yeah, I moved on ! And YOU did the same ! » he yelled at her

« What is all of this Steve ? First we say each other how we feel, the next second we yell at each other... » she said calmly, not wanting to lose her composure.

Steve felt defeated. Maybe he should try to calm down. He loved her. She loved him. But so many things happened the last years, was it possible to disregard everything that took place ever since ?

« Kiss me... » he said

« What ?! » Catherine replied, she couldn't believe he acted like they didn't even discuss

« Kiss me Catherine... » Steve said, moving closer to her.

She wanted to slap him and to kiss him in the same time. But she decided to simply move away from him. Steve looked deep in her eyes. They've talk too much for him.

« You...you should go back to your room right now...I forgot how drunk you are... » she said

« I might be drunk, yeah right...but what I said...all of it..I meant it.. » he said, still looking at her with intensity « and I think you meant what you said as well... » he said while putting his right hand on her cheek The feel of his hand on it felt so good. « Kiss me...you know you want to Cath... » he whispered as he approached her more and more, their lips were so close. « Kiss me... » he whispered one last time. They were looking at each other with a mix of sadness, anger and strong desire. As their lips were almost touching, Catherine took a quick step forward.

« No ! No ! No no no ! This isn't suppose to happen ! God everything is going so wrong ! It's not suppose to turn out that way ! » she said, loosing her calm « Get out Steve... »

« Catherine wait...just wait... » Steve said, as he thought he might have gone a little bit too far.

« GET OUT FROM HERE ! » Catherine shouted « GET OUT !RIGHT NOW ! »

Steve stood still, watching her anger explodes. He knew he had hurt her. With his words, with his actions. But he was hurt and upset as well, because she had rejected him, _once more_ he thought. He reached the door and opened it. Catherine's was breathing fast, she was so mad, so sad, so tired, so LOST, looking at him helplessly.

« You know...I wasn't lying when I said that you ruined me Catherine... » he said one last time, before closing the door.

Catherine knew that this night was going to be one of those nights. She numbly locked the door shut and then stared at her hands for long minutes before finally breaking again. She gasped for breath, silently sobbing about everything that went wrong all at once. Everything that was wrong and that she couldn't deal with. She took deep, exhausted, shuddering breaths as she went to bed, still with the dress she wore at the wedding. Catherine quietly cried herself to sleep. That was the worst type of crying, the silent one. The one when you feel it in your throat and your eyes become blurry from tears. The one where you just want to scream. The one where you have to hold your breath and grab your stomach to keep quiet. The one where you can't breath anymore. The one when you realize the person that meant the most to you, is gone.

* * *

Steve went back to his hotel room, still thinking about everything that went wrong. He couldn't even think properly, he was ruined, as he said to Catherine. Why was their love story so impossible ? Why was it so complicated ? He had been mean to her and he knew it, but it was his way to let her see how much it hurt him when she left, how hurt he felt when he saw her with Jake, how lost he was in his mind, in his heart.

 _And now, I don't know what to do. I can't keep trying to make it work with her when she won't let it. I'm sure she'll be better off without me. But can we really go on without each other ? How does two people in love learn to live life with nothing left but the pain of hearts torn into tiny pieces ?_

Steve didn't have any energy left to think anymore, he just fell on his bed, with his suit and shoes still on, and fell asleep in less than a minute.

* * *

The next morning, Catherine woke up huddled in a corner of her bed with a sore neck and a pounding headache. To her surprise, she was able to sleep all night long without even waking up. It was already 10.30 am when she looked at the clock. She felt uncomfortable and she slept in her dress, make-up on. The first thing she thought about was about how horrible the day before had been. She had this feeling in her stomach,like her heart was really broken. Like all the butterflies just died. She was satisfied that she actually get to talk with Steve, and that he said things back. She knew he still loved her. She knew she still loved him. But she knew as well that with the fight they had the previous night, things will be even more complicated. Moving on from someone you love is a constant battle. It physically and mentally drains you because you're constantly fighting back memories and feelings. And that's why, when you wake up all alone, you become so weak. You're so tired of fighting it. And then the memories come back and the longing returns and suddenly you want to be in his arms, but you know you can't. Because in the morning you'll have to go back to being strong again and you'll have to go back to fighting it, and nothing wouldn't change anyways...

That was all the feelings Catherine had in her when she finally stood up from her bed and went into the bathroom, looking at her pale and sad reflection in the mirror. _I should really take a shower, and take off this make-up, I look awful..._ While showering, she couldn't stop thinking about him. Steve. His smile. His eyes. His voice. His laugh. His warmth. His existence. Him... _What's next now ?_

After she had removed all her make-up under the water, she exited it, and looked for some clothes. She decided to wear comfortable stuffs for the day and she took her gray leggings and an oversized, blush colored t-shirt that swallowed her petite frame. Catherine's face was free of make-up and she pulled her hair back into a low ponytail, a few pieces escaping to frame her face. Then, she brushed her teeth and looked again in the mirror, she looked better, she felt fresh and clean. She went until her bed when she found her cell phone and saw she received 3 text messages and one missed call.

The missed call was from Kono, as one of the text message. She received her call and text at 7 a.m , so it was when she was still asleep, and she didn't even heard the ringtones. Catherine opened Kono's message :

 _ **-Catherine ! We're going to sleep just now, it was such a long and amazing wedding ! I don't know when we'll wake up but I'll send you a text ! I have to cancel the brunch so sorry but we see each other this afternoon/evening before you left ! Xoxo Kono**_

Catherine smiled as she was happy that Kono and Adam spent a nice time at the wedding. She knew Chin and Abby took the plane during the night for their honeymoon in Mauritius. So she was happy the party continued even when they left, it means people really had fun !

She sent a short text to Kono, telling her it was okay and that she could call when she wake up.

The second and third texts were from Jake, that she received at 8.45 am

 _ **-I have a plane in 50 mins. I personnaly had a great year with you and I wish you the best now. I'll prefer if you don't contact me anymore, never.**_

 _ **-You have some stuffs left at my place, I'll send it to your place . Do the same with mine. If you come back to Washington, don't let me know. I know we're done. Good luck. Jake**_

Even with the pain she caused to his heart, Jake remained polite and nice in his text. Catherine felt relieved and bad in the same time. She knew the feel to have a broken heart and she never meant to hurt Jake. But she had to stop playing with him. As he asked her to never contact him again, she knew she didn't have to reply to his texts.

She wondered what she could do now. It was 11.30, she was ready, and she didn't want to stay in her hotel room. Kono was still asleep, and she supposed most of her other friends were also still sleeping. So,as she was very hungry , she decided to get out of her room and to get to the hotel restaurant to have something to eat. She hoped not to see Steve there. Because first of all,she had to think of what to do with this whole situation.

* * *

Meanwhile, Steve was awake already. He woke up at 9.55 am, took a long shower where he was able to put everything that happened the previous night in order, then called the reception to have his breakfast in his room. He had no hangover at all and could remember everything. The kiss, the talk, the fight. _What should I do now ? Should we have another talk ? I planned to say all these terrible things to her, but in the end, I just want to tell her that I miss her...what if she left already ?! What if she's gone ? No...no...she wouldn't come just for one day...but what If she couldn't handle the situation no longer ? And she said that Jake was gone last night, but where is he ?_

Steve had so many questions to ask, so many things to say...He tried to contact Danny but the cellphone kept going on voicemail. He assumed his friend was still sleeping.

Their was a knock on his door « Hello ! Room service ! » Steve opened his door and gave a quick glimpse into the corridor « Hi ! Thank you...looks delicious », he said to the guy, giving him a tip in the same time. He then took the tray and went with it on the balcony. As he sat, he woundered if Catherine was still in her room. He wasn't sure of what to do. Steve was the type of guy who hold in a lot. When he's upset, he really doesn't like to tell anyone. Especially the person who made he feel that way. No matter how much anyone asks, the answer will always be « I'm fine », even if it's not true. And right now, he wasn't fine at all. But yesterday night, he told a lot to her, to Catherine. He let her known how much he was broken after she left. But Catherine, she could break his heart into tiny little pieces, and he'd still pick them up and put them back in her hands. Because, to Steve, she has been breaking his heart. Looking into her eyes and knowing that their story was so complicated, was a pain like he'd never known. He knew now that it was the tiny pieces of his heart falling away.

Steve felt that pain every time he looked at her. It gathered in the middle of his chest whenever he heard her voice or caught sight of her. It continued on until yesterday night, when she told him to go away. He thought, when she left the second time, that he would make it through all the pain. But he didn't, even when he was with Lynn. Things only became more complicated since Cath's return to Hawaii yesterday morning.

Steve was still sitting on the chair of his balcony, drinking his orange juice. He needed to have a calm discussion with her. All of this was way too stupid. He thought if he could just keep her here, just somehow prevent her from leaving this time, everything would maybe be okay. When someone makes you the happiest person and the saddiest person at the same time, that's when it's real. That's when it's worth something. He woke up this morning, noticing he had to try something. She was worth the fight. He could close his eyes for something he didn't want to see, but he couldn't close his heart for something he didn't want to feel. It was now 11.15 am and he made the decision to find where Catherine was.

At the same moment, Catherine was sitting alone at a table in the hotel restaurant,eating scrambled eggs with a few slices of bacon, drinking an orange juice and staring into space. She was considering to leave early and not to wait until the following morning, when she'll have a flight at 11.25 a.m for Washington. But she thought about Kono and she really wanted to see her again. So she had no options but to stay. After all, she didn't have to see Steve again, that's what she thought.

She wanted her time in Hawaii to be memorable, instead, it was a nightmare. Steve told her she ruined him several times, and it was unbearable for her to think she did that to him, after everything's he'd been through with the death of his dad, the issues with his mother, the whole story with Wo Fat. She was so devastated to know he considered her as one of the person who ruined him as well.

She sighed as she rubbed her face with her left hand and began to chew her lips, because she felt so anxious, so alone...

Steve was confident. He knew she had made the first step and it was his turn to find out if their story had an end or not. He went in front of Catherine's hotel room and knocked softly. As she didn't replied, he knocked a little bit harder, but once again, there were no answers. He then made his way to the elevator and pressed the « 0 » button, which was the hotel reception. When he arrived, the hall was almost empty, there were just a few tourists arriving with big suitcases. He had an intuition Catherine wasn't far away. And he was right. When he approached the glass door of the hall, which gave a sight on the restaurant, he saw her. She was on her backside so she couldn't see him. It was now or never. Steve took a deep breath and entered the restaurant. He wouldn't be surprised if she would prefer to avoid him and the conversation that they obviously needed to have.

« Hi... » he said, almost in a whisper

Cath turned her head and couldn't believe Steve was there. No words could come out of her mouth and she was momentarily shinned into silence. She looked at him helplessy. He took that as a good point and as she didn't ask him to go, he took a seat in front of her.

« Cath...last night.. »

« It's okay...» she interrupted, gently, not looking in his eyes. She was so happy he actually made the first step, and she was so happy he remembered what happened.

« I...I don't know where to begin...I think we were both... »

« Really angry at each other... » she said, finally looking at him, making a small smile that led him to smile at her.

« Yeah...sorry I came like this in your bedroom, I shouldn't have... »

« Sorry I told you to get out... »

Last night was the first time they had such a big fight. It never happened. Some things needed to be said.

He didn't know how to continue and felt more and more embarrassed. He really had trouble to express his feelings. Catherine knew it, so she gave him a helping hand and began to speak again

« I meant what I said, everything...and I'm sorry if you think I ruined you... »

« Yeah..and I'm sorry if you were hurt by anything I could have say... »

« Look Steve, we should just...I mean...maybe we should just...move on...turn the page...we should close this chapter of hurt, and never re-read it again. I think...I think it's time to get what your life deserves, and move on from the things that you don't deserve...We should...try to stop to correct our past, and instead...create something better for the future. We said all of these things last night and nothing will ever be the same... »

Steve didn't know what she really meant, and she saw he had an interrogative look, so she kept going

« My mom always told me that moving on and getting over someone is one of the hardest things you have to do in life. And this is true...Especially if it's with someone you saw your future with. So you have to move on the right way...Get your closure from them and tell them everything you ever wanted to tell them, how much you love them, how much you hate them, etc...So you will have no regrets or what ifs...Then tell them goodbye forever. It's going to hurt like hell. But you have to wake up every day and continue your life without them. It's always easier said than done. So just let time heal you know...heal the wounds...to take care of your heart...and one day you will wake up and won't miss them anymore... » Catherine finished, with teary eyes.

Steve was sad to hear her talk this way and asked « You're saying this because I told you that you ruined me ? »

« I'm saying this because I think that, last night, we said everything we had to say and now and...I feel bad for what I did to you when I left..I couldn't imagine Steve... »

« Cath no..wait...just wait.. » Steve said, he could feel some tears coming, so he stared at the ceiling to prevent them to fall. Now was the right time to say everything he wanted to say « This past two years...I have learned only one thing...that I cannot exist without you, that...that I cannot exist without you...that I can't breathe without you...than the man I am without you is...I'm nothing...I am nothing...and you are...you're everything ! And I need you to give me another chance...I demand another chance...we worth another chance Cath...is there hope ? » he finally honestly said, looking at her with his beautiful light blue eyes.

Catherine was so touched by his words that she had to contain a sob she didn't even expected. She saw how sincere he was. She never expected things to go so fast. Yesterday she was still with Jake, and now she was with the man of her dream, the only man she ever loved. It was fast, but they had to stop beating around the bush, stop being too proud, or what they both wanted will never happen.

« There's hope... » she replied, with a sorrowful smile

Steve replied with a tender smile « Good... »

« I thought this kind of problems only happen in movies, or in novels I read. It's not supposed to happen in my life » she told him, trying to erase the weird situation they were stuck in.

« So...last night...you told me Jake was gone... » Steve said, trying not to act too curious

« Yes...he's gone..we're done... » she announced, seeing that Steve made efforts not to be happy about it.

« Oh..I'm sorry...was it bec- » he said before being cut short by the beautiful woman in front of him, the woman he never thought will be back in his life.

« It wasn't fair for him... »

Steve liked the fact that she decided to be honest with Jake.

« Look...about Lynn..it's not what you think...we don't even see each other that often...»

Catherine was determined to hear the end of Steve's explanations.

« Even if you think you didn't...you left me Catherine... » Steve said, brokenly. She could see the pain in his eyes, it took her breath away.

« You left me...I needed you...you were gone...so I had no hope anymore and I wanted to continue my life..and..and Lynn, I never felt anything for her..I want you to believe me... I kept thinking about you all the time...but she was there when...when I needed someone..when I needed a female presence... »

« I understand Steve...I know this feeling... » she said. Her voice broke on the last syllable, her chin was trembling.

« But I'm going to make a term to whatever I have with her...really, you're everything I want Catherine and...and...we would figure things out, alright ? »

« Yeah... » she squeezed her eyes shut, as tears rolled down her face.

Steve stood up from his chair and went to her « Stand up... ». He only had to ask once as Catherine stood up from her chair as well, still sobbing, trying to control her breathing but she broke down in front of him, and in front of the whole restaurant, but there weren't many people and to be honest, they didn't care at all.

Her posture was defeated, her body shaking. She let Steve pull her in his arms and rested her forehead against his chest. She felt so small and fragile as he wrapped his arms around her tightly, giving her a safe place to fall apart. Then, Steve rubbed a hand soothingly up and down her back, rocking them slightly where they stood.

« Do you want to leave this place? » he whispered in her ears. She nodded, and they exited the restaurant, walking together as her head was on his shoulder. He felt like he was in heaven. She felt like the butterflies in her stomach were alive again.

« So...where do you want to go ? » Steve asked

« I don't care...as long as you're with me, I don't care... » . Catherine had stopped crying, but she still had a small voice.

« Do you want to go for a walk or something ? »

« I'd love that...but I should just change my shoes...I don't feel comfortable in it... »

« Okay, I can wait for you here if you want.. » he offered

« Hmm no..no you can come with me I don't..I don't mind » she replied with an angel smile

He had missed this smile so much. While they approached Catherine's hotel room, he felt like he was dreaming. _So all of this is really happening ? Or maybe I'm still sleeping ? Or maybe I'm still very drunk ? No...no it's real..._ He thought, as he couldn't believe how lucky he was and how they quickly succedded in having an adult conversation. He couldn't believe he expressed his feelings like he did this morning. _Maybe I should do this more often, these conversations things..._

But things weren't that easy, they still had lots of things to do to be in a real relationship again. He had to broke up with Lynn, they had to discuss about her staying or not, they had to do everything in the right order.

As they entered her hotel room, Steve noticed there were lots of tissues remaining on the night table. He felt bad, knowing she must have cried because of him.

Catherine took her shoes off and scratched her head as she wondered which other pair she could wear. Steve was intensively watching at her.

« What ? » she asked

« Nothing...it's just...weird...2 days ago you weren't there...a few hours ago we were fighting in there, and now I watch you pick some shoes to go on a walk with me » Steve replied with a soft voice.

She chuckled « It's like we're in a movie, that's what I told you... »

Steve took her hand by surprise and looked in her eyes, not hiding his emotions.

« Cath...last night...you said you loved me...and I want you to know that...that I feel the same way okay...».

Catherine nodded her head in affirmation, telling him with her eyes that she understood. She knew it was hard for him to say "I love you". That's when he leant in to kiss her, for the second time in two years. Catherine cradled his face with both hands and pulled him in a long kiss. This kiss was laced with love. The long presses turned into short pecks, which turned into something in between, something playful with a little bit of tongue. Their hands had permission to wander now and they did, over shoulders and jawlines, stroking down backs and threading through hair. The kisses were now filled with more and more desire.

They both allowed themselves to fall back on the bed. They both clawed at their clothes as if they were on fire, they just kept their underwears. Steve started to press warm kisses up and down her neck, his hands sliding around to rest low her belly. Covering his hands with hers, she leant back into his touch and dipped her head to one side, giving him more access...

« Steve ? » she asked while dragging his hands up over her stomach, enjoying the contact

« Mmm ? » he just replied, his mouth busy tracing her jaw

« Wait...We...we should wait...» she said, softly

That got his attention and he lifted his head from her neck, putting it to the side, questionning.

« Just until...just until you've told Lynn » she clarified « I mean...it's been a long time for us, and so much has happened yesterday and today already...I want us to get some time to process...and not to have the mistress rôle...»

« You're right...okay... » Steve said, simply.

« Okay ? Really ? » she asked, surprised he agreed so easily.

« I think it's a good idea. Don't get me wrong..I want you..like...like crazy » he said, his voice dropping lower and sending a shiver up her spine. « But, you're right, we should wait to get things in order... »

« Yeah.. » she nodded

He connected their lips in a series of soft kisses « I want you next to me tonight though. Can we do that ? » he asked softly, nuzzling his nose against her cheek.

« I think it could be possible », she murmured, kissing him gently.

They were both interrupted by a knock on Catherine's bedroom door. They looked at each other when they heard Danny :

« Catherine ! Hello ! Catherine ! If Steve is with you in this room I will kill him with my bare hands! »

They both chuckled softly but Danny heard them

« I knew it ! I heard your goofy laughs ! For the love of God you two are unbelievable ! Open this door now ! » said Danny louder

Steve sighed and said « He will really do it if I don't reply ! ». Catherine and him stood up as they both put their clothes back on. _All is right in this world_ she thought. She felt so happy for the first time in two years. The most important person, Steve, was right there with her.

 _To be continued..._


	8. Chapter 7 - Break your plans

_I'd like to thank you all for the wonderful reviews I got on this story ! It really means a lot and I want to continue thanks to all of you. I already have lots of idea for how the story will continue ! Hope you'll like it._

 _And once again a special THANK YOU for the amazing reviews to : Leni-H50, FicreaderT, St, Laura, Cath, Sunny70, HeyD501, Judith 35, Kimphin, Alisson, Jil, Molsen and all the Guests, all the followers of the story and the ones where I'm listed as favorite ! It means a LOT ! Lots of love to all of you, hope you'll enjoy this chapter ! Let me know ! xxx Vanou..._

* * *

« Danny, how can I help you ? » said Steve as he opened the door

Danny looked askance at Steve and entered the room without even asking. He greeted Catherine with a nod, but didn't say a word.

« You two are the dumbest people I've ever met ! » declared Danny « Where's Jake ? What about Lynn ? Did you sleep together ? Oh my God I'm sure you did ! » he continued before being interrupted by Steve who frowned and sighed.

« Can you just calm down right now ! Besides..this is none of your business ! » answered Steve

« Not my business ? » The blonde man exclaimed, turning to face Catherine « Look...I like you okay ? But...do you have any idea of how miserable he was after you left ?! And by miserable I mean M.I.S.E.R.A.B.L.E ! I had to pick up the pieces of what left of him ! It took time ! And now ? I new episode of 'Catherine and Steve' had just come out ! ».

Catherine couldn't resist but laughed. But in the same time, she felt bad after what Danny just said. She never wanted to hurt Steve the way she did. She still had a lot to explain to him but she knew there will be a right time to do it.

Steve looked at her « He's...overreacting...you know him... ! ». But what Danny had said was true. He was miserable when she left.

« Okay Danny...thank you for your concern but maybe we can talk about it later don't you think ? » Steve requested, knowing his friend won't leave him with it without explanations.

« You two are driving me crazy ! What am I gonna say to Melissa ? You know she's friend with Lynn ! »

« You won't say anything before I talk to Lynn, that's simple ! » Steve felt more and more embarrassed. It was going to be a long day ! He knew Catherine will leave tomorrow, he knew they still had to talk about what they were going to do, that he needed to explain everything to Danny, that he needed to talk to Lynn as soon as possible.

« Right...right...do what you like ! I'm done with the 2 of you ! » Danny said . He didn't mean it of course, but that's the way he was. He knew how Steve suffered from Catherine leaving him twice, and he was scared it would happen again. He knew Steve would not handle it this time. But he had hope as well, hope that Steve and Catherine will finally get together for good this time.

« Look Danny...Steve and I still have a lot to figure out. I promise he'll talk to you then ! Right Steve ? » Catherine claimed, turning her face to Steve.

« Right ! » Steve repeated «Now if you would just...give us some space Danny, it will be a wonderful act of friendship ! »

« Fine ! Anyway...I'm hungry now ! I have to meet Melissa at the restaurant ! I want updates ! » he said, pointing his fingers at Steve and Catherine.

Danny exited the room which was now filled with silence. Steve gave a look at Catherine « I'm..sorry 'bout that...you know how he is ! »

She laughed nervously and sat back on the bed « Yeah...Danny will always be Danny ! He thinks things are falling apart again... »

« Sometimes when things are falling apart, they may actually be falling into place... » Steve answered, as he went to sit next to her.

He could see she was a bit anxious, and it made him worried she could change her mind about the two of them trying again. Catherine could feel he was stressed, so she took his left hand in her right one and gave him a huge gentle smile. This smile...he could watch it for years.

« Steve...good relationships don't just happen you know...They take time, patience, and two people who truly want to be together... »

« I do know that... » he expressed « and I really want the two of us to be together...wow I can't believe I'm being so sentimental since yesterday night ! That's not me ! What have you done to me ? » Steve laughed.

It was true. Steve was never a man who expressed his feelings. But since the previous night, something changed. He knew he had to open up. If not, he would have lose her another time. And Catherine was very grateful he did so. She knew how hard it must be for him.

« I did nothing, you did it all by yourself like a big boy ! » she teased him

« Yeah that's right, make fun of me ! Very nice Cath ! Very nice ! » he said, pretending to be hurt

« Come on don't act like I upset you Sailor !» she said, jumping on his lap. Catherine was face to face with him and took his face in her hands, caressing his cheeks. They both looked deeply at each other, thinking how they were lucky, how all of this was so unreal.

« You know, you are the most breathtakingly beautiful woman I've ever known ? » Steve said, while beginning to kiss her neck, making his way up to her jaw line.

« Really ? » Catherine breathed out as he kissed the spot on her neck that would always make her go weak at the knees.

« Mmmmmm » he hummed into her neck. The vibration causing a shiver down Catherine's spine.

« Steve... » Catherine could barely speak. The sensations that were coursing through her body were making it hard for her to stay composed in front of him « You're not playing fair...we said we would wait... » She paused slightly.

A devilish grin swept accross Steve's face.

« I'm not doing anything, yet. » He said with a primal growl that had Catherine's stomach doing flips.

« It's easy to take off all your clothes and have sex...people do it all the time. But opening up your soul to someone, letting them into your spirit, thoughts, fears, future, hopes and dreams...that's being naked...and I wanted to thank you Steve... because I know how hard it must have been to..you know...opening up to me... » Catherine said, her words full of meanings.

Steve was surprised by her announce « I should have tell you all of this before Cath... ».

She wanted him, but she wouldn't do anything before Steve will tell Lynn about what happenned.

« Do you still want to go on the walk we said we were going to ?», she asked, kissing him and pausing when she had to talk.

« Mmmm...it's up to you...as long as I'm with you I'm fine ! » Steve answered, knowing he had to see or call Lynn as soon as he could.

«We should stay around so we can see Kono or the others... »

They kissed each other a last time before Catherine stood up from Steve's laps, allowing him to stand up from the bed as well.

It was the afternoon already and she began to feel sad, knowing she had her plane the following morning.

That's when her phone rang. It was Kono so she had to answer.

-Hey Catherine ! I'm awake ! Sorry but I was so tired ! Want to meet in the restaurant to have a drink or something ?

Catherine thought it was a good idea to meet Kono, so she could talk to a friend, and maybe Steve will do the same with Danny, so she accepted and hung up the phone.

« Change of plan, I'm meeting Kono for a drink ? It's okay ? » she gently requested Steve

Steve took this as an opportunity to be alone, so he could call Lynn and explain that they had to end their « thing ».

« Yeah sure, no problem ! Let's meet again later ! I'll text you ! » he said, before realizing he didn't have her number anymore, as he erased it a year ago. « Mmh...do you still have the same number ? »

« No..no I changed... » she said, feeling guilty, while taking Steve's phone and entered her number as a new contact. « Here, you just text me or call me or meet me...I won't leave this place ! »

She headed quickly to the door and turned to look at Steve again.

« We should really have dinner together tonight...I have things to tell you...not bad things but just...I have to explain a few things... »

« I think I owe you some explanations too... » he said, very gently, knowing she wanted to tell him the truth about why she left 2 years ago.

« See you then...you text me when you think we should meet okay ? » Catherine was delighted.

* * *

After this, they both went out of Catherine's hotel room. While Catherine was seeing Kono at the restaurant, and obviously telling her everything about what happened since the night before, Steve did the same with Danny in the garden of the hotel while drinking some cocktails. Kono was glad for her friend and her boss. She always knew both of them belonged together. Danny, on the other hand, was more doubtful. He thought everything was going way too fast. The day before, they were separated and her still with another man, and today Steve and Catherine decided to give their couple another chance. But Steve knew his best friend wouldn't react in another way so he wasn't disappointed by the reaction. If they were switching places, Steve would react the same way. All he knew was that this time - with everything they said to each other – if a person keeps coming back and you love each other enough to keep forgiving past mistakes, you are really meant for each other.

And Steve realized that the hardest times often lead to the greatest moments of your life. It will all be worth it in the end.

« So, is it official or what ? » Danny asked, while drinking his cocktail with a straw.

« I think it is » Steve answered with a smile

« Look at this goofy smile ! I missed it ! » Danny laughed, it's been way too long since he haven't see Steve so happy « But dude, please, just...make sure you're both on the same page you know..I don't want you to be heart-broken again, like...I mean it... » he continued.

« I think this time is the good one Danny...I can't believe I'm so talkative about it with you ! »

« That's because you're on your cloud nine right now ! Hope it will last ! »

« Please stop being so pessimistic all the time, just be happy for me, can you ? »

« Yeah well...if in a year you're still together, I will apologize and do everything you want for a whole day ! Like everything ! »

« Deal ! » Steve said with a joyful smile and raising his glass

« Don't forget you have someone to break up things off with ! »

« Yeah...I know...by the way I'm gonna do it now ! » Steve said, very impatient about the situation. Impatient because it would definitely be a new beginning for him and Catherine. No Jake. No Lynn. Just the 2 of them.

« What do you mean by 'now' ? She's not even there ! » Danny said, puzzled

« Well I'm going to call her ! » Steve replied, cheerful

« Steve no no no...okay I'm glad you're finally back with Catherine okay..but you can't break up with a girl over the phone come on' ! Moreover, she's having fun with friends on holidays and you're going to ruin it ! » Danny tried to reason with Steve.

« Danny...Lynn...she's a great girl but I want things done now...so I won't have to think about it anymore..I know that right now I'm being the worst scum but...I need to do it, and we weren't even a real couple after all, we were just...well...having sex » Steve said, honestly

« Ow that's romantic ! The worst scum ! Yeah I second that ! Do whatever makes you happy Steve...but you know how girls are when they're being dumped... »

« I'm not dumping her as we weren't a couple I'm telling you ! Do you even hear me ! » Steve rolled his eyes

« Oh don't gimme that look ! You know I'm right ! » Danny shouted as he saw Steve walking away with his phone.

Steve went to sat on a bench to call Lynn. He wasn't even thinking properly, he just had Catherine in mind and what they will be able to build together.

 _ **-Hello Loverboy ! So nice to have a call from you**_

 _ **-Hey Lynn...yeah it's mmmh, it's Steve..-**_

 _ **-Yeah I know...why are you calling ? It's not your habits you know..instead you want something from me...**_

 _ **-Lynn look there's something I need to tell you...**_

 _ **-It sounds serious...okay...what is it ?**_

 _ **-It's mmh, I...I'm calling to tell you that...we should stop seeing each other...and that I'm sorry...**_

 _ **-What ?! Wait...what ?...Why ? I don't understand... ? Steve ? Are you there ?**_

 _ **-I know I'm an idiot to do it over the phone but I felt the need to do it now, but you're not on the island so...**_

 _ **-But what happened ?**_

 _ **-You have nothing to do with it, believe me...You're a nice person and you deserve happiness...and...**_

 _ **-It's Catherine isn't it ?**_

 _ **-What ?**_

 _ **-It's Catherine...I assume you saw her at Chin's wedding...**_

 _ **-Lynn look... I don't want to hurt you...**_

 _ **-I can't believe it ! You know what ? Screw you ! You're such a jerk ! I can't believe you're doing this over the phone ! Like you're actually the biggest jerk on earth !**_

 _ **-...yeah...I deserve that ...well I just wanted to let you know that I won't call you or see you anymore..**_

 _ **-F*ck you ! You know what ?! I don't even care ! We were nothing !**_

 _ **-Yeah well you're right about this actually...**_

 _ **-F*ck you Steve ! Go to hell ! I don't want to hear from you anymore !**_

 _ **-Yeah...all the best to you too Lynn...**_

 _ **-You're such a ….Go to hell Steve !**_

Lynn hanged up the phone and Steve let out a huge sigh of relief. Lynn was hurt, for sure, and he heard in her voice that she was about to cry. He felt bad for her, but then he just couldn't wait to tell Catherine. This was it. They could begin again.

« So, you broke a girl's heart ? How do you feel ? » Danny asked when Steve went back to his place in front of him and took a sip of his drink.

« I feel...relieved ! » Steve said, jubilant

« Steven McGarrett in all its splendour ! » Danny clapped his hand « What now ? Is Catherine coming back to Hawaii ? »

« We still haven't discuss this subject... »

« Remember she has her flight tomorrow morning ? »

« I know I know...we'll talk about it later ! Okay buddy I have to go ! When are you leaving the hotel ?! » Steve asked quickly

« In half an hour with Melissa ! I assume we'll see each other tomorrow at work ! »

« Yep, tomorrow ! And Danny, don't make me the bad guy okay...you're the one who told me to open up, telling me I'm a neanderthal man all the time...I just followed your advices ! You should be proud of me !» Steve mentionned, with a mocking face.

« Yeah yeah yeah...see you tomorrow ! And don't screw up everything with Catherine ! Ask her to stay... »

Steve noticed Danny's last sentence. He didn't want to force Catherine to stay right away, but he had to ask, at least. He stood up from his chair and noticed it was already 5.30 pm.

He texted Catherine

 **-Dinner at the hotel's restaurant. ?**

She replied very fast

 **-Sounds perfect. What should I wear ?**

 **-A dress:)**

 **-Perfect ! I'm still talking with Kono then I'll prepare myself and meet you at 8.**

 **-Can't wait:) Meet me in front of the restaurant then. 8pm.**

* * *

They were going on a date tonight, a real date, of what must be her last night in Hawaii. No Danny, no Kono, no friends, just an intimate dinner, and he couldn't be more excited. He wore a navy suit, the crisp white collar underneath left unbuttoned, without a tie.

Finally, he heard the sound of her heels on the hardwood. Creamy, toasted almond-colored pumps appear first as she smoothly came down the stairs, not the elevator. As always, she took his breath away. She wore a short black dress, it was tailored perfectly to hug her soft curves, with a scoop neckline that sat just behind her collarbones. The short sleeves stopped just so around the delicate bones of her elbows. Catherine had styled her hair into the small waves he loved so much, and her make-up was soft and natural, her skin glowing. Steve couldn't help but stared at her, swallowing audibly, because she was just so devastatingly gorgeous. When she turned around, Steve's mouth went totally dry. The dress was completely backless. The material stopped just around the curves of her shoulders.

« You look...I...you're... »

Catherine blushed at his stammering and leant up to press a soft kiss against his mouth.

« Thank you », she murmured, brushing her nose against his neck « Mmmh you smell good...Ready to go ? »

Trying not to smile too widely, Steve nodded and took her hand in his.

They sat at the table, talking about random stuffs, eating their meals, when Steve decided it was time to say it to her.

« So...just so you know...I left Lynn !» he announced, proudly

Catherine's expression turned completely serious in an instant.

« What ? Already ? When ? Over the phone ? Steve this is madness ! »

« Cath, this is not madness. This is what I wanted and I wanted it done today. » He gently silence her « I told you already but...she never meant anything to me... »

« She really seemed like a great woman... »

« I didn't know her that well...but yeah, I was a moron when I was with her...well...the few times we were together... » he said, trying to ease the atmosphere.

« I'm sad for her...but...well...I was here before right ? » Catherine smiled and laughed loudly

« Oh definitely ! And now we're both single and I'm really glad about it ! » Steve answered, joyful.

« Yeah... » she gave him a sad look « I can't believe all of this just happened since yesterday...and now I have to leave tomorrow... »

Steve was shocked by her announce. He thought she would stay longer. His eyes became so sad and he was so hurt.

« You're still leaving ? »

« Yes but just so I can...you know...pack my stuffs, rent my apartment, explain everything to my parents etc... » Catherine said as she could see Steve had a bitter look.

« Right...right...but how long are you planning on staying there ? »

« I think like a week...But I'll be back Steve okay ? »

He knew she had to go back to Washington but he was so scared to loose her again. He needed to trust her. This time was not like all the other times. This time, they've been more than honest with each other and they both wanted a life together. This time she wasn't leaving for a mission, she was leaving to pack her stuffs and to take everything at his home.

« So...when you come back...will you stay with me at my home or... » Steve asked, anxiously

« Well...I would love that, except if you don't want me to, I don't want to pressure you...I can rent something here ! » She exclaimed, not wanting to make him feel obliged to have her in his house.

« Come on Cath... I want you in my house...and it will be OUR house okay ? » he replied with such a gentle smile.

« You're so nice Sailor » she winked at him « I'm having such a great evening with you...I...I know I said we needed to talk about why I left to go on this mission with your mom but...I'm having so much fun right now...is it okay if we talk about it like...when I'll be back next week ? »

Steve knew she was being honest, even if he really wanted to know the reasons, even though they still had a lot to explain, all he wanted was to spend a nice evening with her, knowing she will take her plane the following morning, he wanted the night to be perfect.

« Don't worry...I understand... we'll have plenty of times... »

They finished their desserts, catching up, looking at each other with more and more desire.

« So...are you...are we...going back to our rooms now ?» Steve demanded, hoping she would come with him in his room.

« Our rooms ? » she smiled « You said you wanted me next to you »

« Well I do, I totally do, I just wanted to sound like a gentleman which you know I'm not » Steve replied, laughing and smiling back at her « Maybe we could...watch the TV ! »

« Yeah right Steve, maybe we should do that » Catherine replied with a grin as she stood up and took his hand to exit the restaurant.

After they took the elevator, they stopped in the hallway as Steve pulled out his card and swiping the key. He then opened the door of is hotel room, stepping back, as Catherine quickly entered the room. Catherine wasn't sure what came over her. Maybe it was the declarations he said all day long or maybe it was the look of hurt and sadness on his face when she said she had to take her plane tomorrow, the kind of look that she never wanted to see again, and definitely didn't want to be the person who inspired that look.

She waited for him to close the door then immediately kissed him. He slowly took her lips in an all-consuming kiss. Their tongues met and dueled, each wanting to taste and explore the other fully. Without breaking the kiss, Steve took her dress off, as she did the same with his clothes. He then pushed her to the bed as they fell slowly on it, still kissing with love and desire. She loved the weight of him on her body. He was strong and yet so gentile when he touched her that she could almost cry from the intense sensation it gave her.

The foreplay lasted a long time and was more than perfect and then, they finally made love intensely...

Catherine was still regulating her breath after rounds of intense lovemaking they just had. She was still surprised by the intensity of the love they shared.

« I missed this... » Steve said, gently

« Me too Steve... »

Their hearts rated regulated and they shifted so that Catherine was resting on his chest. Steve held her tightly in his arms. One hand on her lower back caressing her bare skin and the other was holding her left hand. And without even noticing it, they both fell asleep very quickly...

It was somewhere around , when Steve, lying in bed with Catherine sleeping in his arms, looking down at the face that haunted his dreams for the past years,felt the reality hit him all at once. The force of his love for her squeezed painfully around his ribcage and suddenly he couldn't breathe anymore. Steve stood up quietly and opened the door of the balcony then closed it. He settled back into a chair and rested his elbows on his knees, his long exhale creating a puff of water vapor in the night air. He needed some air.

It all flashed through his mind in rapid succession : the moments she left him, the moments she came back, when they shouted at each other, when he held her while she sobbed, the talk, the kisses, her laugh, her skin, her smile. The whirlwind of the past few days left him with reality pressing on him.

They'd barely looked into the depths, they just dove in this new beginning together, and it made him a little panicked. Steve was seized by the sudden, overwhelming realization that he was with her again, just like that. He forgot to step back and evaluate the situation, to think about wheter he feels like he's getting all of her in return, to think about whether he feels like he's getting what he needed to feel secure with her, with them. She's been so careless with his heart in the past. She left him, over and over again, and it killed it every time.

The sound of the doors opening pulled him from his thoughts. He turned around to see Catherine pushing the doors closed, making her way over to him. She sat on the chair next to his.

« Sorry I woke you up... » he said gruffly, his voice still raspy with sleep.

« You didn't... » she replied, glancing at him with a soft smile « The bed got cold, I just wondered where you went »

There was something in his posture, something in his expression that made her stop after that. He was lost in thought, she could see it. She could see how serious his mood was in the set of his lips, his brows, the way he held his shoulders, and it made a twinge of anxiety flare in her stomach.

« Can I ask you what you're thinking about ? » she asked, softly after a few seconds.

Steve's eyes softened a little at that. He sighed deeply, sliding back in his chair.

« I'm thinking...that I feel a little overwhelmed by the past few days... » he confessed, deciding brutal honesty was the best way to go.

« Okay... » she said quietly, nodding her head slightly

As he didn't continue, she prompted him gently.

« What else ? »she asked, managing to sound calm even though her eyes revealed how difficult this was.

His eyes traced over her face for a moment before he started to talk again.

« I'm...I'm really...scared of us, right now. I've been sitting here thinking about you, and us, and everything we've been through, everything you've put me through...I'm thinking that I want this to work, I want this and I want you more than anything, but I'm so tired of getting hurt, Cath...Being hurt by you is a thousand times worse than being hurt by anyone else... »

Her breath hitched when she realized where his head was, where this was going, but she forced herself to listen. He deserved to be able to tell her what was on his heart.

« I'm so scared that as soon as you leave here tomorrow, as soon as we're out of this little bubble and back in the real world, you're going to run like you already did. You're going to find an excuse to leave me. You're telling me you're in this, and I feel that, I do...But I also feel like...I've felt that before..when you decided to stay in Afghanistan, or when you left for « Nepal »... » Steve said, his voice gentle, but serious and clipped., « And I don't want to feel that anymore...I won't settle for that...It hurts too much. Everytime you leave, I sit there and ask myself why doesn't she want me the way that I want her ? Why can't I give her what she needs ? I know I said that I would do this over and over until we get it right but Cath...please...don't hurt me again... »

The look on his face was breaking her heart. She stood up, relieved when he let her sit sideways on his thighs, sliding his arms around her waist.

« Steve..I am so sorry... » she whispered, cradling his face with her left hand, her eyes wide and filled with tears. « I am so sorry that I ever made you feel like you weren't enough, like you were less...You are enough...You've always been more than enough for me... »

Hearing those words from her started to soothe something inside him, a wound that's been aching and burning for as long as he could remember. He leant into her palm and closed his eyes, letting the words wash over him. His reaction was noticeable and profound, so she repeated, with conviction « You are enough, Steve... »

On some level, she always knew she'd hurt him by leaving, regardless of what her motivation had been. She hadn't been blind to the pain in his eyes, or the fierce way he clunged to her whenever she returned. But hearing him say it, hearing him doubting himself and blaming himself, and begging her not to hurt him anymore, she felt the full weight of what she did and it gave her an astonishing clarity.

« I...I always used to think you'd better off without me, without the complications of our relationship...Even though it hurt, everytime I left, I thought I was helping you... »

« Well...you've had a bad habit of thinking you know what's best for me in a lot of different situations. I'm a grown man, Cath... Before you walk back into my life, you really need to understand that I'm damaged...I find it hard to trust people now..I've made mistakes in the past and I've learned to live with them...If you walk back into my life, you can't walk out of my life again when things are getting hard...»

« I know that » she winced, his comment stinging a little bit « My leaving was never about you... »

He got a faraway look in his eyes, staring past her, slowly shaking his head.

« I needed you Cath...I need you okay..I don't just need someone, I need you. I want you. You're not some kind of placeholder Cath...you've never been that ..you know that by now don't you ? »

As soon as he said it, her face changed, her eyes vulnerable and scared. She looked away for a moment.

« I know... » she said, smiling tightly and nodded her head. « I know and I believe you...»

He pulled her more securely into his lap, tucking her against his chest.

« I want us to really work, and I promise I will do everyhting to show you how much I care about you... » Steve said while watching her carefully.

Catherine nodded her head, took a deep breath...

« I love you Steve... » she said softly, resting her hand against his chest, making herself look right at him when she said it.

Steve's brows furrowed, and he struggled to express himself for a moment, trying to keep the words from getting stuck in his throat like they usually do.

« I love you too Cath... »

He was so sincere...He finally said it, right in front of her, not over the phone...She was close enough to kiss him now and she did, nuzzling her nose against his, connecting their lips in several presses. They loved each other. His lips were cool but his tongue was warm when it slipped past her lips, stroking into her mouth. Steve hummed softly when she cradled his face with two hands, sucking on his bottom lip, sliding her tongue over it. He eased their mouths apart with a few softer kisses, her snuggling closer to him.

« I don't want you to go Cath... » he said quietly « I don't want you to leave tomorrow... »

 _To be continued..._


	9. Chapter 8 - Happiness

_Hi everyone ! Thank you once again for reading the story and for your reviews ! Some of them are still not in the category « reviews » but I saw them on my gmail account, so I guess it sometimes take a few days before they appear on the page. Anyway, THANK YOU ALL ! From the bottom of my heart !_

 _So... in the previous chapter I made Steve kind of a « jerk », breaking up with Lynn over the phone:/ I personnaly have been already dumped by a call and even by a text message once :p aaah these men... ! So I know how it feels ! But don't feel sorry I'm happily married now so it's the past !:p I just deeply wanted Steve and Cath together as soon as possible :p ! And you'll understand why I wanted him to break up over the phone after reading this chapter;)_

 _Let me know your thoughts about this new one ;)_

 _Chapter 9 on should be updated next week =)_

 _xoxo Vanou_

* * *

 _« I don't want you to go Cath... » he said quietly « I don't want you to leave tomorrow... »_

« Steve, I'll be coming back by the end of next week, I swear...but I have to close my 'Washington's chapter' by going back there, taking my stuffs etc., I want you to trust me for real this time... »

«What if you realize today was too perfect to last ? What if you feel guilty about Jake ? What if you realize you're not ready ? How can I really trust you on this one ? I don't trust words Cath...I trust actions now... » Steve sounded defeated.

Catherine never saw him so insecure, she didn't want to let this ruin something amazing.

« Steve, distance doesn't ruin a relationship...doubts do...I really need you to trust me here, I know forgiving someone is easy, but being able to trust them again is a totally different story... » she began quietly, before being interrupted.

« Right Catherine...You know I don't trust easily. So when I tell you 'I trust you', please, don't make me regret it... »

She listened intensely. Steve watched her struggle to collect herself before she continued.

« I won't...I promise... » Catherine said with a honest tone « By the way you'll have a busy week with work...aren't you suppose to get back there on tomorrow ? »

« Yeah, but I can go back only the afternoon, so I could take you to the airport... » Steve replied, looking in her eyes. He was addicted to her eyes, they were so vivid.

Catherine gave him a peck on his lips, she was still on his lap and it didn't seem to bother him. « Steve, I'll be back...I won't take the risk to loose you again...this is what we decided, both of us,to give us another chance...I'll be back... pinky promise! » she whispered, showing him her little finger.

« Pinky promise... » he replied, with a sleepy smile,giving her his little finger as well.

Steve felt so alone with his feelings. He was scared to loose her again. Being alone with your feelings is the worst because you have nowhere to run. They're here, dancing in your mind and all you can do is handle. Catherine's heart was heavy when she saw the look of insecurity and loneliness in the eyes of the man she loved. That's when she thought about a quote she saw one day - _All relationships have one law. Never make the one you love feel alone, especially when you're there._ \- She couldn't let him feel that way, she wanted him to trust her, now.

« I may have an idea...two ideas actually ! ». She said as Steve gave her an interrogative look. « What if...you come with me ? I can cancel my flight tomorrow and we could go there like next weekend ? Or we could both go tomorrow, well...in a few hours I mean now..I'll check if there are some places left...Or..I could ask my parents to send my stuffs here but it would cost a lot of money...or...or...or I don't have any other idea...what do you think ? » Catherine said, a little bit confused herself.

« You...you sure ? You'll do that ? » Steve gave her another questioning look.

« I'll do that just for you McGarrett » she agreed « So now we can start fresh and we can re-build the trust we once had in each other »

« Okay...yeah...yes!We start fresh » he said, smiling

The genuine smile that lit up his face warmed Catherine's heart so deeply that it almost ached. The tiny lines around his eyes crinkled, and his expressive blue eyes sparkled with pure happiness.

« But before we start fresh...you broke my heart with that Jake thing you know ! » he giggled, his voice held no accusation.

« And you broke mine with that Lynn thing ! » she replied with a giggle

« I couldn't move on, for years I pretended that I could, that I was okay without you. But then, there you were again and I could no longer convince myself that I was going to be alright without you. » Steve admitted, becoming serious again

« I couldn't move on neither » Catherine replied.

Catherine allowed her fingers to play with the short hair at the nape of his neck and she felt his sigh against her cheek. He was overwhelmed with the desire to kiss her again so he gently kissed his way to the corner of her mouth. Steve let them rest there, wanting Catherine to kiss him too. She could feel the quick heartbeat against her chest, but couldn't be sure if it was her own or his. Her lips moved as they were slowly kissing his neck where his pulse beat strongly.

« If you forgive me for Jake, I'll forgive you for Lynn », she whispered, and her breath tickled his skin in the most tantalizing way.

« Mmmh...then...I forgive you », he replied between the pecks. A sigh escaped from her throat as Steve didn't waste a second to trail his tongue along her lips. So she opened her mouth to his and shared a meaninful and passionate kiss. Who would have thought that something so small could be so everlasting. A kiss. Their kisses. They both wished it would never end. There was so much love in it, one of Steve's hand cupping her face while the other one remained wrapped around her body protectively. Somehow the kiss was more intimate than most of their sexual encounters had ever been. After a minute, Catherine broke away from the kiss to catch her breath.

« We need to stop... » she said to Steve, even though she sounded anything but convincing.

« That's out of question... » Steve breathed against her lips, feeling hers bloom into a smile.

He then watched her stand up. She extended her right hand to him to let him know she wanted him to stand up as well. That's what he did.

They both stared at each other in silence, both trying to comprehend that everything was real. Then, it was Steve's deep serious voice that cut through the air.

« So, maybe you should cancel your plane and we'll both get there next weekend. You'll ask Kono for clothes until there, I'm sure she'll be happy to lend some to you »

« I think I can do that » she agreed, and made her way back into the hotel room. Their perfect moment in their bubble will end in a few hours and they both wanted to enjoy the rest of the night together. Catherine took her phone and went on the internet to cancel her reservation right away. She then shew the screen to Steve « See Commander...canceled ! »

Steve felt as if all his pain and fears were gone. Now he was just happy. Extremely happy. She made him happy in a way no one else could. She was his happy place. This was the best feeling in the world : watching things finally fall into place after watching them fall apart for so long.

« Welcome home Cath... » he went closer to her and simply hugged her. Catherine then took his head in both hands.

« I choose you. And I'll choose you, over and over and over. Without pause, without a doubt, I'll keep choosing you » she replied softly, her forehead on his, her eyes in his. Steve looked so happy and carefree. True love cannot be defined by any means. It's a cluster of adjectives, it's crazy, passionate, complicated, painful, but most importantly, true love is real. It's that feeling of being inexplicably drawn to another person. Love isn't about finding someone who you can escape reality with. It's about finding someone who makes reality worthwhile. And between these two, true love was obvious.

Catherine smiled at him, with a real warm smile that made her eyes dance.

« I love this about you, your beautiful blue eyes... »

« Only my blue eyes ? I thought there were some other things that you loved about me ! »

She squealed as he pushed her on the bed and began to tickle her. In the next moment, he leaned to kiss her on the lips, but stopped with just a breath between them.

« Let me rephrase it. Your blue eyes are one of many things I love about you ».

He sealed her declaration with a deep kiss. She sighed happily into it, and pushed all her worries at the back of her mind. They weren't sure when they got all naked again but suddenly they made love a second time then fell asleep very fast, happy and content, with the promise of a fresh new start between them.

* * *

It was 7.00 am when Catherine felt a warm, strong and massive hand snaked its way around her tiny waist. Turning to face Steve, she was greeted by a pair of stormy blue-grey eyes. Smiling, she slowly stroked the cheek of the man she loved. « Good morning ,Commander... » Catherine said as she snuggled into Steve's chest.

« Good morning Lieutenant... » he replied, kissing her forehead and caressing her hair.

Waking up next to each other was a total delight. One of the things they loved was to fall asleep and wake up together, holding themselves and feeling completely safe. And finding someone worth waking up to is better than finding someone to sleep with.

« How was your night ? » he asked, quietly, running his fingers up and down her arm.

« It was perfect...I don't even want to leave this bed and this hotel » she admitted, caressing the hair on his chest and tracing her fingers down to his long scar from his liver transplantation he had a year and a half ago.

« Me neither but hey...what if we take a shower, pack our stuffs and then we could leave here and have a breakfast at Liliha bakery and finally, you'll drop me at work before heading to whatever you want ? » Steve suggested.

« Sounds perfect » Catherine answered with an almost inaudible voice « But I'll take my shower in my hotel room otherwise we know we'll go out of control » she softly smiled.

« I second that » Steve giggled. It was such a pleasure to be next to Catherine. He would have never guess that they will get back together. He knew that this time, it was for good. They had a future together. And this idea made him the happiest man on earth.

He was drifted out of his thoughts when his phone rang. It was Duke, from the HPD. Steve knew right away it was time for work.

« McGarrett » he answered, listening carefully at the man on the phone « I'll call Danny to pick me up and we'll be there... »

Steve looked at Catherine who knew he had to go. She didn't feel sad or anything else, she felt so proud to be with someone like him.

« Duty call..I'm leaving you my car keys and a double of my house keys okay ? I'll call Danny to pick me up ! You just take your time, pack your stuffs and mine too by the way please, then you can go to my house or do whatever you want...and call me if you need anything, I'll let you know if the case is important or not...if not we could eat lunch together alright ? » Steve sounded nervous as he talked fast, he didn't want her to think that he already abandonned her for work. Catherine could feel his anxiety as she smiled at him and reassured him.

« Steve don't worry, that's okay alright ? I know this island by heart, I won't be lost and I have lots of things to organize ! Just call Danny, take a Navy shower and go » she suggested « I won't go anywhere »

« You're gold Cath ! Gold » he said, giving her a quick kiss on the lips and making his way to the bathroom, calling Danny at the same time.

Catherine stayed under the cover, realizing that today was the beginning of a new chapter. It was the first time in her whole life when she thought about what SHE wanted. And she wanted this. Steve, Hawaii. There were so many beautiful reasons to be happy from now on. She wanted to thank Steve for reminding her what butterflies felt like. She felt like she was a teenager, like nothing else mattered now, like she could definitely be herself with the person she loved. And she was right.

When Steve got out of the bathroom, he dressed up very quickly and Catherine could see he was arleady in the work mood. She looked at him and she could also feel something else happening in her own body. She could feel the love that filled it. The kind that made her toes curl and the kind of love that circulated through her veins. She could feel herself blush from having all types of emotions running rampant against her skin. The kind of love that made her want to scream all her worries and fears out so they have no way of finding their way back in. The kind that took her breath away just by the sound of him talking or breathing. She looked at him and thought « _Aahhh, so this is real love_ » before being interruped by Steve.

« Okay I'm leaving Cath ! Danny's down there ! Here's my truck key and here's my home key ! You call me if you have any problem ! » He said in a hurry before he rapidly gave her a peck on the cheek and ran to the door, turning around a last time « Hum...Thank you...Thank you for staying in Hawaii Cath... », he smiled, before exiting the room.

Her heart melted when she heard his last sentence. She replied with a soft smile and nodded.

The rest of the day was kinf of uneventful for Catherine. She packed her stuffs and Steve's one before she took a quick shower and put on the same purple dress she had when she arrived. She left the hotel, full of hopes and memories and took Steve's truck to go directly to the place she knew so much, his had called her mom to explain she'll come another day,called Kono to know if she could borrow her some clothes for the week, went to Adam's to collect them, and then went back to Steve's house where she made herself comfortable. Steve had called her at noon, to know if she was okay and she let him known that he didn't had to worry about anything.

He was busy at work, Five-O had a new case : a drug dealer found dead, tortured, in a ditch. The team had to find and interrogate all the suspects. It was the middle of the afternoon when Steve and Danny took the road to question one of them. While Steve was driving, Danny gave him a insisting cheeky look.

« Danny...I can feel your look right on my face...what is it ? » Steve demanded, knowing what Danny had in mind.

« Can I say what I have on my mind without being interrupted, please Steve? »

« Go ahead...I promise I won't interrupt... »

« So...you have this huge stupid smile on your face since this morning...you look way too relaxed...you have not blaming me for anything since this morning ...which is shady by the way...you are actually respecting the speed limits and that's extremely rare...and well, this goofy look, the sound of your voice is different...I guess it's not because you received your guns magazines... I think Catherine is the reason of all of this ! »

Steve raised his eyebrows but couldn't help giggling

« Oh God what was that stupid laugh ! Please don't do it again it sounds way too weird ! So, how was it with Ramboette ? » Danny asked, happy to see his friend this way.

« Well...she's staying, definitely... and we're going to D.C this weekend, together, to pack her stuffs, how is that ? » Steve said, with a laid-back attitude.

There was a silence for a few seconds, before Danny asked.

« Are you a hundred percent sure of this Steve ? I mean last time... »

« Last time is the past Danny...thank you for your concern, really, but this time, with everything we said to each other...I mean this time, there are no lies...be happy for us ! And don't stay mad at her.. »

« I'm happy for you ! And I'm not mad at her...well maybe just a tiny little bit because I remember you were like a ghost when she left...but in a few days it will get better... » Danny assured « And the two of you, last night, you...you did it ? » he asked again, trying not to act too curious.

« I won't talk about this with you ! » Steve exclaimed and laugh at his friend's question.

« Look at this ! Naughty boy ! I hope that in a hurry you guys didn't forgot the contraceptive methods ! » Danny laughed

« Stop talking about this Danny ! » Steve answered but took notice of his friend's comment. No, they didn't use condoms, as it's been a long time since they stopped it between them, he used some when he was with Lynn but not yesterday with Catherine. Before their break-up , she was always on birth control and he thought it would still be the case, she wouldn't have take such a big risk. He would have to ask her later, innocently. If he was ready to give his relationship with Catherine another go, Steve was definitely not ready to be a dad.

* * *

The evening came quickly and Steve was dropped off at his house by Chin, it was around 10 pm and he had already eaten. Steve shook his head in mild embarrassment when he realized just how late at work he had stayed. When he got home, the entire house was in darkness. The only light came from the master bathroom where he could hear the shower running. He walked through the bathroom door and sure enough, there was Catherine, head bowed standing directly under the shower, her head letting the water run over her body. Suddenly, as if she could sense him watching her, Catherine looked up and as she was done, went out of the shower and put a towel around her.

« Hey Sailor...I heard you since you entered the door downstairs... » she said, smiling

« Hi there » he approached and gave her a soft kiss, hugging her in the same time « I'm sorry it's been a busy day ! » Steve whispered in her right ear.

« Don't you worry about this, I was busy here as well » Catherine replied, breaking off the hug to put her underwears and one of Steve's t-shirt for the night. « I unpacked our stuffs, I called my mom, went to collect some clothes at Kono's house, bought new underwears as I didn't want you to see me with Kono's underwears, booked our flight for this weekend, had a nap, ate a whole plate of pasta, rented a car so you could have yours for the rest of te week, etc etc ! »

« Long day indeed ! » he expressed, delighted to see her that happy and excited. He then talked about his day, as he took a quick shower while she brushed her teeth and her hair. After this, he put a black short and a grey t-shirt on and brushed his teeth as well as they kept on talking about the case he had at work.

« By the way we're leaving on Friday evening, 8.10 pm, that's alright ? » Catherine demanded as she made her way to the bedroom and turned on the radio, only to plug her phone in.

« Yeah that's perfect...Humm...what are you doing ? » he questionned as he saw her looking for something on her cell phone. The music then began to play, it was a famous song from Stevie Wonder « Don't you worry 'bout a thing ». Catherine looked so overjoyed as she began to dance on the music.

« Well...right now...Catherine... is...dancing ! » she replied with a huge laugh that he was so happy to hear.

The way she danced, with his large t-shirt on her skin, was enchanting. Steve could watch her like this for hours.

« Dance with me ! »

« Cath... » Steve felt a bit embarassed. He liked to dance when there were more people around, but he was surprised to find himself a little bit shy at her request.

« Dance with me Steve ! You can dance with me or you can get off my dance floor, I'm fine dancing alone ! I know you can't beat my dance moves ! » She challenged him. And he decided to challenge her. And there they were...dancing together, both laughing loud, their eyes full of joy and love. Now was a special time they shared. Just them. A happy old and catchy melody with some good lyrics. And nothing else. And there was the moment when they both realized that turning the page was the best feeling in the world, because there was so much more to the book than the page they were stucked on. Sometimes the best type of intimacy is where you just lay back, laugh together at the stupidest things, dance together, hold each other, and enjoy each others' company.

As they were still dancing, Steve stopped and looked at Catherine.

« Man, do I love you... » he murmured. That's when she stopped dancing too and went to him.

« I can't wait 'til we really live together ! Like when my stuffs will be there as well !It 'll be just us and it'll be perfect ! » Catherine said as he leaned down to press a kiss against her forehead.

« You know... » she started again« You're special to me. You're the only one who I wouldn't mind losing sleep for, the only one who I can never get tired of talking to, and the only one who crosses my mind constantly throughout the day...You're the only one who can make me smile without trying...I can't explain with just words how much you mean to me..but you're the only one I'm afraid of losing and the one I want to keep in my life... ».

« We're a team now Cath alright ? Whatever you lack, I got you. We will balance each other out. Minor setback ? Guess we'll make a major comeback. Bad day ? Well...I promise you a better need support ? I'll be your backbone. I'll keep you motivated and at the top, always...As long as you're with me, don't ever doubt my loyalty. You got me. I got us Cath... » Steve said, with her hands locked in his. It was like everthing they've been through was erased, like they really had their fresh start, and it felt perfect, good and right.

Catherine felt so magnificently perfect in his eyes, safe, and loved. She was home. She was here. With Steve.

She gazed up at him with stars in her eyes. She felt so hopeful. Catherine saw into his very soul in that moment, saw the magnitude of his love for her and felt overwhelmed by the gift of him coming into her life had been. After everything they had been through, here they were, still more in love than ever, and she'd never felt more confident or sure of that love then she did now. She kissed him lovingly, the kiss was slow and soft. And Steve knew one hundred little things about her, but when she kissed her, he couldn't remember his own name. He would never love another woman as completely and endlessly as Catherine, and as they kissed, he felt something inside of him click into place : the last missing piece of his heart he had so stubbornly and stupidly kept from her. Breathy declarations of « I love you...I really love you » fell from his lips as she repeated the same to him.

They both interrupted this beautiful moment, knowing they were both very tired and that they really needed to sleep. They both went under the cosy cover of the bed as Steve took Catherine in her arms, her head resting on his chest.

« Cath...there is..there is a question I need to ask you... » Steve announced, stressed « But I don't want you to be mad at me for asking this okay ? »

« Mmmh, I can't promise I won't be mad if the question will piss me off.. but..okay I'll try !» she declared, a little bit confused

« It's really nothing important Cath...don't take it in a bad way but...last night...we didn't use condoms... »

« I know...and ? » she added, softly but doubtful.

« And...I mean...are you still on..you know...birth control ? » he finally asked, feeling totally stupid

« What ?! Steve of course I am !» she answered, not feeling offensed at all. She knew he could be so tactless sometimes.

« Oh alright, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you ! Look it's not that I don't want us to have kids or everything, I do, really...but... »

« Right now is not the time. And it's not a priority, for both of us, I know Steve, relax okay... »

« I should have never ask you this... » Steve sighed and looked at her with a sorry face

« It's alright, communication is very important in a relationship, and if you're worried about something, you just ask okay ? » she said, very comprehensive

« Okay...thank you Cath... »

« So...you do want some kids one day ? » she took advantage of this conversation to ask him a question they've never discussed in the past.

« Sure..sure I want to be a dad...when I see Danny with his kids or Chin with Sara, I want to be like them one day you know... what about you ?» he asked

« Yeah me too...I definitely want some kids, just...just not right now... » she answered

Steve couldn't help but tried to imagine what their children would look like. And he wanted to be a father only if Catherine would be the mother. But they needed to do things in order...spending more time together, be sure that Catherine feels good in Hawaii, ask her to marry him, and then have children.

« I'm sure we'll have a girl first ! Man's intuition » he said, innocently, looking down at her

Catherine laughed at his comment. « Man's intuition right ? » she giggled « well...you know...when my little girl will ask me who my first love was, I don't want to pull out the old photo album...I want to be able to point across the room and say 'he is sitting right over there'... »

« I'll be sitting there, believe me... » he smiled at her and kissed her temple

They both went silent for a while, just enjoying each other company. Steve could feel Catherine was drifting off to sleep so he turned off his bedside lamp before falling asleep as well.

It was past midnight when they were both awakened by loud continuous knocks on the door. Steve had a bad feeling.

« Who's this ? »Catherine asked, still half in her sleep

Steve took his gun just in case and got up the bed, as Catherine followed him and went down the stairs. Steve looked by the little window on his main door and let out a big sigh, before turning to Catherine « It's Lynn... » he whispered.

Catherine nodded with a comprehensive look, she gave Steve a small smile and with her eyes, encouraged him to open the door and went back upstairs, thinking it was better for her not to be here when Steve will open the door. After all, he'd been wicked to break things with Lynn over the phone.

As he opened the door and before he could say anything, Steve received a huge slap in the face.

« Good, I feel better now... » Lynn said, her eyes full of anger

Steve didn't know what to do, he knew he deserved it. But his ego was definitely hurt.

« Lynn look... »

« This is what you've got from breaking with a girl over the phone, you're the most pathetic man I've ever known ! Now go to hell McGarrett ! » she continued, looking at him with detestation before quickly turning around and going back to her car.

Steve closed the door, stood still and sighed, he was just happy that Catherine didn't see this scene. It was the first time a girl slapped him.

As he came back into the bedroom and went next to Catherine, under the cover, she couldn't help but said « Ouch... I think that even the astronauts in space heard that slap... !», then began to laugh uncontrollably, laughing so hard she made no sounds at all. She didn't want to make fun of him but he looked so upset, like a little boy would be, it was way too funny to watch.

« Thanks for your support Cath, the astronauts in space...really... » Steve said as he began to laugh too, her laugh being so contagious « I think I deserved this one... »

They were in bed together, laughing and not caring about anything else. And nothing compares to the stomach ache you get from laughing with the person you love. After all, couple who laugh together, last together...

 _To be continued..._


	10. Chapter 9 - Washington DC

_Hello everyone ! Thank you SO SO much for the reviews once again :) Cath, you asked some questions about Catherine that I'll try to answer in this chapter;) Hope you'll all enjoy it ! PS : **If you still haven't watch the season 7 finale, I will talk about something we learnt about Steve in this chapter so be careful if you don't want to know.**_

* * *

« I'm truly exhausted Cath...I feel like I could sleep for days » Steve said as he entered Catherine's flat in Washington, a beautiful place, well decorated, located on Carroll Street. They just arrived from an 11-hour-flight and took a taxi from the airport to her place. With the flight + the jet lag, it was already 1 pm in D.C and they both didn't succeed to sleep in the plane.

« Yeah, me too... » she replied with a huge sigh.

The week had been really busy for Steve at work, but as Catherine had stayed at his place, they had been able to see each other every evenings. But right now they just both felt tired all the way to their bones.

Catherine felt very weird to be back at her place with Steve. This was the apartment she rented when she ended her last mission a year ago, a little bit after she saw him for the last time. She rented it because she needed some rest, she rented it because she needed some time to herself and she had refused several times to accept new missions abroad. This was the place she cried herself to bed thinking about him...

Her flat was cosy, well furnished, well located, and not too far from her parents' house. She didn't grew up in this town, as she moved a lot as a kid due to his father's job, but now that Michael Rollins was retired, he had bought a house there with Catherine's mom, Karen. The two of them had been very supportive of their only daughter for the last year, knowing she was having tough times in her personal life.

« That's a nice place you got there Cath... » Steve claimed, watching everywhere around him.

« Thanks, but these are not my furnitures ! I own nothing here, except for my clothes, books and a few little things » she expressed, relieved to know there were only a few suitcases to fill with her belongings.

« So that will be quick to pack, great news... » Steve said as he approached her and brushed a stray lock of hair off her face in a very intimate gesture « I'm happy to be here with you...you know that ? » Steve asked, not waiting for an answer and took her in a hug, kissing her forehead.

As Catherine was in his arms, he saw something on her sofa, next to the pillows. It was a white man's shirt. Steve sighed loudly, which made Catherine to look in the same direction.

« Oh...sorry...there's some stuffs from...you know...Jake... that I need to send him back ! » she revealed, feeling a little bit embarrassed.

« Yeah... » Steve said, as he stopped hugging her. He knew it wasn't her fault. Everything happened really fast for them and the last time she was in Washington, she was still with another man. But the idea of him, in her flat, leaving some of his stuffs behind, made Steve a little bit jealous.

Jake had never once tried to contact Catherine again since they had broken up. He made it clear he never wanted to hear from her again and she respected that.

« Steve...it's just a shirt, it's not like he would have forgot his underpants ! » Catherine laughed, as she realized she might have gone too far when she saw Steve's look.

« I really don't want to imagine you two in bed Catherine ! That was inappropriate...»

« I know I know...I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say this...by the way I thought we were fine about this...we said we forgot each other for this...little mistakes we've both done ! » Catherine answered, and insisted on the « both » as it was Steve who went with another girl first.

« Yeah...I'm sorry I just got a bit jealous there » he replied as he gave her a small smile, knowing he was picking up a fight for nothing. « Truth is..I get jealous easily because what's mine is mine... » He looked at her with puppy eyes.

Catherine bursted into peals of laughter « _What's mine is mine_ ? »

Steve chuckled as he tried to continue « Yeah ! Sometimes I act like I don't give a f*ck because I care too much, and here...this man... the idea of you being touched by another man...God if I see him in town I think I'll be able to punch him in the face ! ».

Catherine loved it when he was jealous. To her, a little jealousy was a healthy thing in a relationship as it's always good to know that someone is afraid to lose you.

« You won't have to punch him as we won't see him alright ?! By the way, he should be the one to punch you... » she declared, teasing Steve who looked at her with a puzzled face.

« I can see Miss Rollins is in a teasing mood today... » Steve claimed as he went on the sofa and yawned.

« If you ever, even for a second, doubt my love for you, speak to me immediately... Don't just sit there and start assuming things. Don't just sit there and wallow in misery of our broken love... Don't resort to these unreasonable measures alright ? Just ask me. It's my job to remind you that I do in fact love you every single day Mr McGarrett, alright ? » Catherine reassured him as she went next to him and took his hands in hers. « Now...would you like something to drink before you start a deshydration crisis ? »

Steve loved this power she had on him, the way she always made him feel better when he was anxious, sad or angry. The way she said she loved him. The way she looked at him.

« Water would be fine, thanks» he finally answered as he saw her walking to her kitchen and coming back with two glasses of water. She wore a skinny black jeans with a button down grey shirt, her hair in a bun. She was so beautiful and he felt so lucky to be with someone like her. _This time, don't screw things up Steve_ , he mumbled to himself.

« So...what's the schedule for today ? » Steve asked, as he drank the water very fast.

« Well..we have our plane tomorrow evening...which means we have enough time to pack my stuffs, to clean a little bit...then I'd like to see my parents...I should tell them that...I'm moving with you... » Catherine suggested, feeling anxious about her dad's reaction.

Her parents knew Steve already. They saw him twice when things became serious between their daughter and the Five-0 leader, back in the time, before she went to find Najib in Afghanistan. They went on a vacation in Hawaii for a few weeks and that's when Catherine introduced him to her parents. They got on very well immediately. But now was different as Michael and Karen thought that things were officially over between them and that they saw how Catherine used to be sad all the time, leaving her job and acting as if everything was okay. She knew her dad would be mad when she will tell him she was back with Steve, again, but this time, for good. But she had to tell them.

« Your father is going to kill me, isn't he ? » Steve asked, feeling as anxious as her. He always had a big respect for Michael. He was a good man that used to be in the US Navy, very protective of his family, mostly of her only child, Catherine.

« That's what I was thinking about ! » she chuckled softly and yawned again. Catherine had slept less than 6 hours during the last 2 days and she was so tired she could hardly keep her eyes open.

Steve could see she was exhausted, so he went in a lay down position on the sofa while she did the same, holding each other and without even knowing it, they both feel asleep.

3 hours later, Catherine finally drifted off to sleep while the most beautiful man on earth gazed down at her. She had been awakened by the soft caresses on her left arm.

« What time is it ? » she asked sleepily

« It's 4.40 pm... » Steve replied, still gazing at her.

« Oh no...already ! » she yawned. Catherine could stay in this position for hours but she groaned when she realized that she'd promised to be at her parents' house around 6. She wanted to cancel but it wouldn't be fair on them, and she didn't came here to sleep.

Steve pulled Catherine towards him and started to kiss her forehead when he noticed her frowning a bit.

« What's wrong Cath ? » he demanded as she gazed up at him.

« I think I should go to my parents on my own... » she sighed « My dad would feel way too uncomfortable if he sees you again, and you'll be uncomfortable too...I don't want him to be mad at you, I want to give him time to cope with the news...»

« Isn't this a bit rude, being here but not coming with you ? » Steve stammered

« Well that's my idea...I think it's better if I go without you, really...so I could tell them everything...I'm not going there for hours, maybe an hour or two that's all..» Catherine maintained « You could stay here and pack my stuffs in the suitcases, clean a little bit so then we'll have our night just for us and tomorrow we could visit the town? »

« Wow ! That girl's got a damn cheek ! » he giggled, as he thought it was better indeed, for her to go on her own. Steve then grabbed the sides of her face and kissed her deeply. Catherine kissed him back and wrapped her hands underneath his shirt to feel the bare skin of his back. But he broke up the kiss, stood up from the couch and grabbed her hand in a purpose until they reach her bedroom. It was cool and dark here. He threw her on the bed and asked her to take off her clothes as she giggled. « You're unbelievable... » she laughed as she unbuttoned her shirt did the same to him. Then she traced one hand from the base of his stomach to the nape of his neck and then pulled him down for a soft kiss. It was very passionate, they both wanted to savor every moment. Steve moved from her lips to the base of her neck softly nibbling and sucking on her supple skin as Catherine threw her head back. Steve then reached around her and in one swift motion unhooked her bra and threw it across the room. He took a moment to look at her beautiful perfect body. He looked at her hungrily. Even if they were back together, the week had been so busy that he missed her. He missed her scent. He allowed himself to just look, but not touch. Catherine saw his look so she took the liberty of removing her jeans and her panty.

« You're such a tease » Steve said softly

« Take these off.» she said, pulling at his pants. He stood up and did what she asked with his pants, socks and underwear. He then positioned himself on top of her and kissed her with passion and desire. After minutes of foreplay, they switched positions. His back was against the headboard and he pulled her on his lap. They soon found a steady pace and made love intensely.

They stared deep into each other's eyes as they finished. Catherine held onto him tightly like she was afraid he'd disappear. He kissed her sweaty forehead and wrapped his arms around her.

« You're so beautiful... » Steve mentioned with a joyful smile. No girl believes she's beautiful, until a guy come along and makes her feel like she is. And this is something Steve always did.

« I love our story... » Catherine told him, still in his arms, while caressing the hair on his chest. « I mean...sure it's a messy one...but it's the story that got us here... » she continued, lost in thought.

Steve loved the way they were now both able to speak openly about their feelings. It was true, communication was a huge part in relationships.

« Look at me Cath... » he said, as she gazed up at him « My story with you...making memories with you, is definitely my favorite thing to do in the entire world »

Catherine smiled at him. And in her smile he saw something more beautiful than the stars.

« I can't believe this is the first thing we've done since we're here... » she giggled and stood up slowly to enter the bathroom, leaving Steve alone in bed.

Steve heard the water of the shower as he began to think more and more about their future together . He had a chance to make things right again. Her sentence « _I would have say yes_ » danced in his head as he wondered if it was a good idea to ask her to marry him soon, for real this time. _I'm already 40 years old, she's in her mid-thirties...maybe I shouldn't wait too long...but what if she changed her mind ? What if it's too quick...no! No...you know her for years, it's not too quick...maybe I should give her the ring soon...I should plan a proposal...yes, I should definitely do this...maybe I should tell her about my radiation poisoning first..._ Steve said to himself as it hurted him to know he still said nothing to her about it. It was something he had to tell her because after all, this was not a small issue, even if for now, on short terms, he didn't have lots of symptoms. Only Danny knew about it.

Steve decided to end his dark thoughts and went out of the bed to go in the bathroom. He saw Catherine was brushing her teeth so he came behind her back, kissed her on one shoulder. The smile she gave him made his heart ached.

As Steve went under the shower and did his stuffs in the bathroom, Catherine was getting ready to go to her parents'. She was all fresh, had a few make-up on, her hair in a high ponytail. She decided to wear a blue jeans with a long sleeves dark green top.

She couldn't believe she was actually taking all of her belongings to Steve, she couldn't wait to be able to call his house, « our house ». She was already thinking about some stuffs she'd like to change, like his brown old couch or some other decorations that were a little bit too old. She wanted to feel like at THEIR place, not at his place, so some changes would be needed. Catherine was afraid too as she didn't know what she would do on this island, as a job. She definitely wouldn't take any other missions abroad, so she should look for a job she could do which would not include to travel. Her place will be in Hawaii and that was it. No negociations.

« Steve I'm leaving » she shouted, as she was ready to go.

He went out of the bathroom, wearing a dark blue shirt with the logo of the Navy on it and a pair of dark blue jeans.

« Ok, so I'll pack your clothes, books, etc in the suitcases ? »

« Yes please, that would be nice ! » Catherine answered as she took her black purse.

« For you, I'll do anything » he said as he went to kiss her gently « Good luck with your parents ! »

« Don't worry about it » she caressed his cheek and then took the key of her car.

« You brought your Corvette with you in Washington ? » Steve asked with an interrogative voice, as he never thought about where her car went when she left.

« No...no...unfortunately I sold it before I left... » Catherine replied, a little bit ill-at-ease by the memories of her leaving Steve and Hawaii 2 years ago « Now I'm driving an old red Kia Optima ! »

She was gone before he could say anything. He knew how much she used to love her blue corvette. She never even let him drive it. Knowing she had sold this car made Steve a little bit sad. He didn't know why but today he felt very vulnerable. He was more in love than he had ever been. This woman was his whole world, he couldn't wait to have her with him in Hawaii. They could begin ( or continue) a wonderful life there...He knew she was making sacrifices. She was leaving everything for him, so Steve decided he would do anything to make her the happiest girl in the world.

* * *

2 hours later, Catherine came back from her parents' house. It went pretty well even if her father was in a sulk the whole time. She knew she had to give him some time before he will accept the situation of her going back with the only man who broke her heart. Her mom had been really happy to see Catherine so happy, she always knew somewhere that these two will get back together. Mom intuition. She even offered to take care of everything related to the flat, like giving the keys back to the landlord or to sell the Kia for Catherine, so she could buy a new one in Hawaii.

« Wow...what is all of this ? » she asked while entering her flat. The table was set in the dining room and had candles on it. The delicious smell of dinner being prepared awakened her senses. The radio was on and she could hear the sound of cooking utensils in the kitchen.

« Steve ? Oh there you are ! What is this ? » Catherine asked as she approached him to give him a peck on his right cheek.

« Hi beauty ! » Steve said as he kissed her gently on her lips « Well...as I finished to pack your clothes and stuffs in two suitcases, I decided I could do something romantic for you » he added, looking at her with loving eyes.

« Aww..how sweet of you » Catherine's heart melted by the initiative « This is just great... »

« Why don't you go and have a seat and I'll come soon with the plates » Steve offered with a wink.

« How spoiled am I ! You're adorable ! ». Catherine could watch him all day long, all night long. He was so handsome, and when he was cooking, he was even more handsome ! She was amazed when she looked at him. Not just because of his looks, but because of the fact that everything she ever wanted was right in front of her. And this was the first time he lighted up candles for her and that made her feel so loved. And she was totally completely eyepopping seriously groundbreaking passionately deliciously in love with him. Steve was the love of her life.

« Madam, meal's ready » Steve said as he placed a plate in front of her, then went to sit in front of her and laid his plate on the table as well.

« Yummy ! This smells incredible Steve ! » She expressed, jubilant.

« I went to this grocery store down the road when you left, so I made this curried salmon with turmeric rice and raita, and I did it with love ! » He told her, seeing how happy she was. « Wine ? »

« Yes please » she replied, as he filled her glass in. « Steve, thank you for all of this...I don't even know what to say... » Catherine said again, feeling so touched by his efforts.

« Cath...I should have done this a long time ago.. » he simply replied, raising his glass of wine to hers « Cheers Cath... »

« Cheers Sailor... » she giggled a little bit, feeling like she was on a first date.

Catherine told Steve how delicious what he cooked was, which made him feel so proud. As they talked about how things went at Catherine's parents, she suddenly stopped.

« Steve...I never told you why I left... » she said with melancholy. She wanted it to be said so they will never have to go back in the past again. And she felt that now was a good time.

Steve knew it wasn't an easy talk for her, but he nodded and decided to hear what she had to say, without interrupting her.

« When...when they recruited me, I was still in Afghanistan..I signed up for it..and...and then I came back for Kono's wedding and...and I saw you again and... » she spoke quickly and she stopped to catch her breath. « When I saw you...when you kissed me...I wanted to stop everything...so I called my superiors but the mission was so important and...and they told be I had to come, that I signed up for it and that they needed me, that I couldn't tell you because...because you were Doris' son and that you could be in high danger if you knew any single thing... » she paused as she saw that Steve was looking at her intensely, with no judgement in his attitude. « I couldn't tell you Steve...I didn't know how long it would last...and my goal was to come back as soon as it will be finished but...but then...then you told me you couldn't wait for me anymore...and I realized that..that it was selfish for me to think that you should wait for me, again and again...but Steve...I never meant to hurt you, or...or hide things from you...I want you to believe me... » she finally said with streaming eyes.

After a few seconds, Steve took her left hand in his on the table and stroked it with his thumb.

« I believe you Cath...and...and I'm sorry if I said that I couldn't wait for you... » He said, feeling guilty and sad, but relieved he knew everything now « Now, we're together and...and I want it to last, you understand ? »

« I understand... » she replied with a soft voice. His words made her feel so much better. « So now...I know the past cannot be changed, forgotten, edited or erased...it can only be accepted... » Catherine told him as she took her glass of wine and raised it up « Dear Past, thank you for all the lessons ! Dear Future, I'm now ready » she chuckled « God I'm so good with you Steve ! »

Steve smiled cheerfully at the woman he loved more than anything else.

« And I'm so good with you too...and ready for our future together !» he replied with a delighted smile.

She was so happy that she got up from her chair, went to sit on his lap and gave him a loving hug and a soft kiss on his lips. « We should eat the dessert now, what do you think ? » Steve whispered.

« What is it ? » Catherine asked

« I made a banana cake ! » Steve claimed, full of pride

« Oww then we should definitely eat it now ! » she challenged him.

They ate the delicious dessert, both taking two slides of it, as they kept talking. Then, they did the dishes together and as everyhting was done, Catherine looked at the clock who indicated 10.35 pm. She then looked at Steve who made his way to the living room and she saw that he didn't look that great, as if his mind was occupied with something. He was sitting on the couch, trying to look for the TV remote.

« You're okay ? » she asked as she sat next to him.

Steve remembered how well she could read him.

« Yeah..yeah I'm fine Cath ! Come here ! » he declared and opened one of his arm so she could be closer to him.

But he was lying. She had told him the truth about everything that evening, and they said they wouldn't hide things to each other anymore. But Steve couldn't tell her about his radiation poisoning. He didn't want her to be scared or worried for nothing. He was still taking his medicine every day, but he told her it was for his liver. He had to go to the doctor once every 5 weeks for a follow-up. So he was lying to her, but only to protect her. And he felt bad, because they had a new beginning and he was already lying. He wanted to wait to be in Hawaii to tell her. But he will tell her.

His thoughts were quickly removed by Catherine's funny mood. She was imitating her father when she told him she was moving in with Steve. She was the funniest girl he ever met. As she ended her monologue, they fell back in a comfortable silence.

« Do you want to watch a movie ? » He asked and Catherine nodded. « Find a good movie on Netflix and I'll get the popcorn ready ! »

« You bought popcorn ? » her eyes widening with a childlike excitement.

Steve laughed at her mimics. « Of course I bought popcorn ! »

Catherine laughed with him and went on her Netflix account. She decided to watch « Drive » with Ryan Gosling, she hoped Steve would not notice it was the same actor from _« The Notebook »,_ the movie she forced him to watch twice a few years ago _._ She was setting it up and arranging the couch when Steve walked into the room with a bowl full of popcorn and the rest of the bottle of wine.

He poured them each a glass and sat down, as Catherine sat next to him and spread a blanket over their legs while he put the bowl on his lap.

As the movie began, Steve looked at Catherine with a puzzled face. « Cath..I know this guy ! He's the one from that notebook movie ! You have a crush on him don't you ? » he asked, laughing in the same time.

« It is ? Ow ! What a coincidence ! » she lied, knowing he was just joking.

Throughout the movie, Catherine slouched closer and closer to Steve until, finally, her head was resting on his shoulder. Steve moved his arm behind her shoulders and tucked her to his side as he readjusted the blanket to cover them completely. Catherine moved her hand across his stomach progressively until her arm circled his waist. Emboldened by her closeness, Steve kissed her hair and he felt her hum of contentment against his chest. He barely watched the rest of the movie, focusing instead on the feel of her hand on his hip, the beating of her heart against him, the smell of her hair and the sound of her breathing. It felt like paradise.

* * *

When the movie was finished, he realized she had dozed off and was now sleeping comfortably against him. He took a few minutes to get reacquainted with her face. She always did look like an angel when she slept. He ran his hand through her hair, relishing in the softness of the tendrils. He turned off the TV and finally, scooped her up in his arms to carry her to the bedroom. She barely stirred, instinctively wrapping her arms around his neck. Steve laid her down on the bed and took off her shirt and jeans, only to put some pajamas on her. He then tucked her under the covers. He decided to just go to bathroom to watch his teeth then went to bed as well. He watched her for a few minutes, simply happy to watch her sleep. He traced the curves of her face with his fingertips and smiled when she scrunched up her nose. Steve kissed her forehead and fell asleep quickly.

Catherine woke up the next morning feeling refreshed, more than she had been in years. She hadn't woken up once during the night, which was completely unusual. She noticed Steve was still sleeping and saw it was 9am.

She streched, enjoying her newly found peace of mind. Today was her last day in this apartment and it felt good.

« Good morning Sailor... » she whispered in Steve's ears, knowing he was opening his eyes.

« Hmm...Good morning Lieutenant... » he replied with an Eskimo kiss.

Steve slept very well too. How good was it to wake up next to Catherine, knowing he wasn't working so they could enjoy a whole day together again.

« So...what if we go out to have breakfast ! I know a great place where they serve amazing pancakes ! » she offered

« Sounds great...but first I need a shower... » Steve answered as he kissed her lips.

« I need a shower too...if you know what I mean? » she murmured with a mischievous voice.

« Oooh..no I don't...I think you need to show me... ! » Steve replied as he went out of the bed and made his way to the bathroom « I really don't know what you mean... » he pretended to be naive and laughed as Catherine followed him and went with him for a great moment under the shower.

* * *

 ** _1 month later_**

« So...be honest with me Steve...should I go back with Rachel ? Or will this be the greatest mistake ever ? » Danny asked to his friend who was working on his computer.

It has been a month since Catherine and Steve came back from Washington. They were living together now and it was just perfect. She had insisted to buy a new couch and some new furnitures for the house, she wanted it to be their place, so he agreed to let her change things so she could feel comfortable. He even agreed to adopt an abandoned cat she found in a shelter. Catherine named the grey and white male cat _Peanut._ All of their friends knew they were back together for good and Steve couldn't be happier to have Catherine by his side.

« Hey Steven, I'm talking to you ! » Danny repeated, annoyed that Steve wasn't listening to him.

« Sorry Danny...I...I don't know what to tell you...with my own experience, I'd say that if two persons love each other, they should go back together...but my story if different that mine ! You've been married to her, had children with her, you're with Melissa since almost 4 years...I think you should follow your heart that's all »

« Follow my heart ? Where is the Steve McGarrett that would have tell me not to do this ! I need someone to tell me that it's a very bad idea ! » Danny shouted.

Danny was glad to see Steve with Catherine again. He asked to have a conversation with her and she had been very honest with him, and had apologized for the lies she said to him 2 years ago. Steve was now the best version of himself again. The best Danny ever knew.

« I can't tell you it's a bad idea Danny, because I don't know what your feelings for Rachel and Melissa are ... » Steve answered quietly, eyes on the screen, still writing on his computer about their last case « By the way...I'm gonna ask Catherine to marry me... » he announced, still looking at the screen and acting normal.

« I think I heard this before... » Danny laughed

« Danny ! » Steve rolled his eyes but continued to confess what he had in mind for the proposal « I'm really gonna do it Danny, believe it or not ! I kept the ring...I'm still a little bit lost about how I should propose...I want something special... » Steve scratched his chin.

« Well..that's great news Steve ! I'm really happy for you both... » Danny expressed, he couldn't wait for Steve to be finally married, to have kids and a good life without drama. But then he frowned « Did you...does she know about...you know... »

Steve sighed, knowing his friend was right to talk to him about this.« She still doesn't know...she thinks I'm taking the meds because of the liver... »

« Then maybe, before you ask her to marry you, you should tell her Steve, you- » Danny said as he was interrupted by Steve.

« I don't want to freak her out Danny ! »

« But she has all the rights to know Steve ! You're lying to her...do you remember how you were when she lied to you about Mangosta or about her leaving to Nepal ? What you hide doesn't even compare to this... »

Steve knew Danny was right. It was a month since he lived with Catherine and he had always postponed the moment to tell her about his radiation sickness. His next appointment with the doctor would be next week. Since they came back from Washington, he had had a few nauseas, he had vomited maybe twice or three times and had had only a few headaches. But he never said anything to Catherine. He knew this was the short term effects, and the meds helped him not to feel too bad. But Steve couldn't help but think about the long term effects...he just wish it would not come before 10 or 20 years. Right now, all he wanted was to propose to her, he wanted her to be his wife. He wanted to be married to her. He knew it was just a matter of time before it would happen.

That evening, as he came home from work, he saw Catherine was sitting on the beach behind their house. She was watching the ocean. She looked free, happy. As she heard Steve, she turned to him and stood up, running to him to jump in his arms.

« Well hello to you too ! » Steve laughed, glad to see her that joyful.

« I missed you! »

« I missed you too ! Even if we saw each other for lunch, I missed you all the afternoon » Steve said as he kissed her tenderly.

Catherine had never felt so happy since she came to live in Hawaii with Steve. She had found a job at the HPD Communication Division as a dispatcher, but she wanted to do something else. She had taken the job just so she would do something of her days and have a salary. But she wanted to do something she'd never done before like working with animals or small children. In the meantime, she worked there and she was happy with it. She knew she would soon find something else.

Steve went to sit on one of his chair on the lanai, putting his elbows on his knees. Catherine did not expect to see him that serious. She knew something was wrong...

« Steve, what's wrong ? Did something happened at work ? » she asked innocently

« Cath...there is something I need to tell you... » Steve began, not able to look into her eyes.

« Steve what's going on ? Tell me... » Catherine added, feeling this was going to be a bad news.

« Look..this is a long story...let me get this straight...A few months ago...I was in contact with...uranium... »

Catherine listened to him carefully. Steve told her everything about what happened, about his radiation sickness, about the short term symptoms. She was breathless. There was a sharp noise in her ears, her vision became blurred because of the tears. She wanted to cry, she wanted to scream. Now that everything was perfect in her life with Steve, they would have to cope with the illness.

« Cath...I...I'm fine alright ? I just think you should know about it...But I'm fine, really...I just have some nauseas sometimes but I feel better with the medecines I'm taking I swear... »

Catherine couldn't believe it. Radiation poisoning. This wasn't happening, it couldn't.

« For...how...why... » was the only sounds that came out of her mouth

« Cath...I. am. Fine. The doctors...they even don't know exactly what dose my body absorbed...they just know it's not more than 8 gray..so it's not the most dangerous- »

« How long do you know ? » Catherine interrepted him, looking at him with confusion, her voice trembling.

« Five months... » He revealed with a huge sigh, wanting to be honest

« So...all this time...when we said we would be honest with each other, we would begin again...you hide this to me... » She asked him

« I didn't want to...I...I was afraid you would be worried Cath... »

« I am worried ! Can you imagine ? Radiation sickness ? This...this is... » She couldn't finish as she bursted into tears and made her way back to the house

« Catherine ! » Steve followed her

« Don't...I need some time on my own... »

Steve heart ached for Catherine but he knew that she was strong and that she would overcome the situation.

Catherine went to their bedroom and collapsed on the bed. She couldn't stop crying. She didn't know much about radiation but she knew it was dangerous and she was heart-broken to know that Steve had to face this. All she wanted to do now was to cry and scream and let it all out because this situation was killing her inside.

As Steve entered the bedroom a few minutes later, he could hear she was crying. She was lying in bed, curled into herself. Her body was shaking from the effort it was taking her to suppress her sobs.

« Cath... » he breathed, kneeling down in front of the bed

« I'm sorry » Catherine cried « I'm not mad at you ! I'm mad at this life ! »

« Don't worry about it... » Steve soothed, placing a hand against her cheek « I'm alright Cath... »

« I'm so scared... » she admitted, and it was all the explanation he needed. Steve joined Catherine in bed, who stiffened slightly next to him. She had calm down considerably, his presence enough to soothe her. In the silence of the bedroom, Steve rolled on his side and let her pull him until he was spooning her. Catherine's tense body finally relaxed.

« You'll be fine ? » she turned to look at him in the eyes

« I'll be fine... »

 _To be continued..._


	11. Chapter 10 - Love is the end

_Once again, thank you all for the kind words and for the amazing views, it means so much to me ! Here's chapter 10 ! Let me know what you think about it and what you think will happen ! Xoxo Vanou_

* * *

 **1 month later**

It's been 2 months since Catherine had come back to Hawaii. She had learnt that the man she loved had radiation sickness and she saw him being sick only once, it was a night and she woke up by the sound of him in the toilet, vomiting. The rest of the time, Steve was just being Steve, the indestructible man she knew. They had spent lot of great moments together, and communication had become an essential point in their relationship, which was perfect. The only negative point was that her job as a dispatcher in the HPD was very boring for her. Catherine still had that will to be on the spot, to fight with the bad guys, to go undercover. She thought she wanted to work with children or animals, but she had changed her mind quickly when she realized how much she missed working on cases. She was really lost professionally and it made her feel sad sometimes. She didn't know how she could tell this to Steve, as she knew he would think she wanted to leave again. She didn't want to. Never. Being in Hawaii with Steve was the best thing ever. But yes, she felt alone sometimes, especially since Kono decided to spend more and more time in Carson City, Nevada, trying to help with the child sex trafficking across the Us, and Carson City is one of the aforementioned hubs. And she couldn't help but always think about Steve's health.

As Catherine arrived into the frontdoor of Steve's house, well, their house, she saw Steve's car was already here, which means he had come home earlier than what he said to her. He wasn't suppose to be here before an hour or two. As Catherine opened the door, she saw he was on the couch, playing with Peanut, the cat they adopted a month ago, as the television was on.

« Hey pretty lady ! » Steve said, as he stood up from the couch to give her a hug.

« Hi » she smiled « You're done with the paperwork ? You told me you wouldn't be here before 8!».

« Lou and Chin helped me with the papers actually, and of course Danny found an excuse to go ! »

« That's great news, that you're home already » she said while taking her shoes off.

« You're alright ? » Steve asked, as he saw she looked tired

« Yeah...yeah..long day...10 hours on a chair in front of a computer is really exhausting... » she replied, while making her way to the kitchen. She took a bottle of water and drank it as Steve had followed her.

« Yeah..I understand... ». Steve nodded. He knew that deep down, Catherine was bored at work. He recognized the boredom in her eyes or in her voice when she talked about her job. He wanted to ask her to come back to 5-0, but he wasn't sure if it was something she wanted to do again. He also knew that the fact that Catherine had no real female presence in her life made her feel alone sometimes. This was definitely something they should talk about later.

Steve had never been so happy since Catherine was back. He knew that this time, nothing will tear them apart. There were some days when he couldn't wrap his mind around what he had done in his life to deserve what he had now. He was happy, there was no doubt about it, he was immensely happy. So much that sometimes, he was afraid to go to sleep because of the possibility of waking up to find that it all had been a dream. Getting here certainly had been a difficult task, with the lies, the secrets, the fights. Steve wasn't proud of these things, but they managed to make it and were in the best place they had been in. Ever.

Steve looked over as Catherine was now looking for some biscuits, he couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. He found himself doing that a lot. Smiling like an idiot for no reason other than he was a man completely and totally in love. Danny was the first one who would make fun of these smiles. But that wasn't a problem. He was proud to be in love. And it was just a matter of days before he would finally propose to her. He still didn't know how to do it, what to say, all Steve knew was that he was 100% sure of himself.

« Why are you smiling like this ? » Catherine asked gently, smiling as well « Are you making fun of me because I almost ate all the biscuits ? »

Steve laughed as he realized she indeed ate the whole box. This girl could eat like a man and not take a single pound.

« I'm smiling because you make me happy »

Catherine's heart melted. « Awww...you're such a romantic sometimes » she said as she approached him and put her hands behind his neck. « You make me happy too Commander. ». Catherine pulled him to her and they kissed in a very loving way. They both found so much comfort in that kiss.

They were stopped by Steve's phone ringtone. They both hoped it wasn't work...the caller ID was 'Unknown'

« Hello ? » Steve asked, but there was no answer « Hello ? » he said again. He could hear someone breathing but nobody was talking. « HELLO ?! » he said louder, as the person hang up, leaving him puzzled.

« Who was this ? » Catherine asked, innocently

« Well I don't know...no one talked, wrong number maybe ! » Steve said, not sounding scared or anything. He didn't want to scare Catherine but this had been a strange call, he had clearly heard someone breathing. Or maybe he was just being too paranoid...

* * *

A few hours after, they were at the Wang Chung's Karaoke Bar. Jerry had called all the team to know if they wanted to go out for a drink and they all said yes. Steve, Cath, Jerry, Danny, Chin, Abby, Lou, Eric, Noelani, Kamekona and Flippa were on a big table, talking loudly, drinking beers and watching people on the stage, singing. Jerry, Eric and Flippa weren't shy as they often went on the stage.

As Catherine was busy talking to Noelani and Abby, Steve was at the bar ordering a few more drinks for him and the team. Danny decided to go at the bar and touched Steve's forehead with the back of his hand.

« You don't feel well ? You really have a wallet ? Did I actually see you pay some drinks ? » Danny teased.

« How many time will you keep doing that joke ? » Steve rolled his eyes « Stop thinking I'm stingy ! »

« So...why do Cath still have no ring on her finger ? »

« Because I haven't propose yet »

« When are you going to propose ? The day of your 70's birthday ? When pigs would fly ? »

« Soon...but I won't give you more details as you can never shut this big mouth of yours ! » Steve added.

« What do you mean ? I already said that I was sorry I said it to Chin and Lou last week, I couldn't keep it to myself, I'm way too excited ! Am I going to be your main wedding witness ? Can I wear a white suit ? Can I organize your bachelor party ? What about a release of pigeons for the big day! »

Steve couldn't help but laugh at his friend's clumsiness. « A release of pigeons Danny ? I hope you mean a release of doves ! But please now is not the right time to speak about it ! » Steve declared as they went back to the table .

Catherine smiled at Steve when she saw him. He was wearing a dark grey shirt with a pair of black jeans. She could see how women looked at him in the bar and was happy when he kissed her in front of everybody, so they will know he was far from available. She was very beautiful as well, her long straight hair released on a short white dress. She loved evenings like this one, feeling so special in Steve's eyes.

« So...how is Grace, I haven't see her for a while ? » Catherine asked to Danny a few minutes later, as Steve went to the toilet.

« Well..right now is not an easy time for her, with Rachel and Stan's divorce...and you know she just turned 15 and is in a « my parents are so boring » mood...so... »

« Everybody had this time in its life when you think your parents aren't cool but don't worry, once she'll get older, she will become a daddy's girl again ! » Catherine reassured him

« Yeah...what about you...do you want kids one day ? » Danny asked, trying not to sound too curious.

Catherine giggled and admitted « Well, one day maybe, just not now...I'd like to be married first but again, everything in its own time » she said innocently as Danny's face went red, he wanted so deeply to tell her Steve's plan but he would be a dead man if he did so. Catherine had no idea Steve would propose soon. She knew how hard it was the last time, when he bought the ring and didn't even had the time to ask her, because she left.

As she went to speak to Chin, Steve came back and saw that Danny had a grin on his face.

« What is it this time Danny ? »

« I talked to Catherine. She can't wait to be married and to have babies ! » Danny overstating.

« What ? Did you say something ? Please don't tell me you said anything ? » Steve eyes were huge.

« Hey hey hey relax ! We talked about Grace and I just asked her if she wanted kids one day, she told me yes, but that before she wanted to get married ! »

« Why are you always exaggerating ? Don't ever talk to her about these things before I propose Danny, seriously ! You know how clumsy you are ! »

« My lips are sealed Steve ! But hurry then ! » Danny teased him again, as Steve sighed and laughed in the same time.

As they went back home, showered and went to bed, Catherine and Steve kept talking about the good evening they had with their friends. This was the strongest group of friend they ever had and nothing would ever break this amazing friendship.

« I'm so glad it's Saturday tomorrow ! » Catherine said as she on her side in the bed, looking at Steve.

« Yeah me too...hopefully it will be a quiet weekend with no crime on the island ! »

« Yeah...you know I miss it so much, working...working in the field... » she said quietly, staring into space, as she told him about how she didn't like her job.

Steve knew it since she began her work in the HPD.

« You should really come back to 5-0 you know... » he said sincerely, as he caressed her right cheek.

« I don't know...you know I have lots of ideas like a job in the Criminal Investigation Division, or the Antiterrorism Intelligence Unit...but I don't know, I feel like one day I want this, the other day I want this... »

« Are you happy here ? » Steve interrupted her

« Of course I'm happy Steve. I wouldn't change my life for nothing in the whole world...just because I don't find the perfect job doesn't mean I'm not happy here with you... » she reassured him.

« So...maybe you should think again about going back to 5-0...you know the work, you know the team... » he smiled softly

« Yeah...I will think about it..thank you Steve » she leant to kiss him tenderly.

His hands on her lower back were a welcome sensation.

« I want more moments like this... » Steve said after a brief period of silence.

« More kissing moments ? » she inquired with a smirk, loving the sound of that

Steve smiled. « Definitely more of that but I mean something else... »

« What's that ? »

« This amount of vulnarability you are allowing me to see is amazing. I know that takes a lot for you to do and it's not easy. But I really love this side of you. »

« Steve, you make it easy for me to do it...I'm so good with you..I'm so good with you.. » Catherine repeated.

Steve brushed his nose against hers before kissing her passionately. Then he pulled back and started to laugh « You're driving me crazy right now. »

« I am ? » Catherine asked innocently. « I wasn't aware that I was capable of doing that »

Steve grinned and they kissed even harder. He really loved this woman more than anything. _Tomorrow, I'll propose to her for sure..._

* * *

Catherine's eyes fluttered open, blinking furiously at the harsh sunlight streaming in through the large window in their bedroom. She burrowed down pulling the covers up over her head. The bed was warm and she didn't want to get up yet. A warm deep laugh filled the room and she rolled over to face the source.

Perched up on his elbow watching her was Steve.

« Good morning » he said as his eyes sparkled mischievously

« Morning... » she said, sleep filling her voice.

Steve pulled her up into his arms with a smirk and kissed her softly « Thank you for last night... »

Catherine happily took this opportunity to snuggle up into his arms. « No..thank YOU », she mumbled against his chest.

They laid in each others embrace for awhile, enjoying the warmth of their bodies and the sounds of their breathing. It was quiet moments like these that made all of the drama of the past worth it...

A few hours later, as Catherine was in town buying some groceries, Steve was in his garden, mowing the lawn. It was a beautiful sunny day, with a soft wind, which was just perfect. Steve knew since last night that he wanted to propose today, so he decided to make his garden perfect, because later, they would eat there and he would propose there.

Steve looked at his garden, at the beach, at the sea...He wondered where he should put the small garden table. Maybe the beach will be more romantic ? As he was thinking, his cell phone rang. « Unknown » appeared of the screen.

« Hello ? » he said, but like last time, had no replies« Who is this ? », he could hear a loud breathing but that was it. « If this is a joke this is not funny ! » he said, before hanging up the call himself.

Who was that ? Maybe was it his mom ? But this was weird...the breathing was even a little bit scary. _That must be a mistake...anyway...I should put the table on the sand...some lights in the trees, candles on the table..._

Steve was soon way too busy to organize this perfect evening to think about anything else, and these unknown calls were soon at the back of his head.

The evening arrived fast and Steve had told Catherine that he will prepare a romantic dinner for her. She was so happy. She made herself more than beautiful. She took a long shower, put on high black heels with a beautiful short black dress with red flowers on it and went outside, where Steve was waiting for her.

It was 9 pm and as she went downstairs, she could see the lights in the back of the garder, close to the beach. She made her way out and saw that Steve was waiting for her, sitting on a chair, in the sand.

« That is...that's beautiful Steve... ». There were little lights in the trees, a beautiful table with the whole dinner on it, the sound of the waves. It was perfect. He was perfect. He looked so handsome in his suit. _God do I love you Steve..._

« Thank you...you look beautiful Cath... » he said as he kissed her right cheek and gave her a bunch of red roses.

« Aww...that is so sweet of you ! » Catherine smiled widely. She could count on one single hand the times when Steve bought her flowers.

Steve was more than nervous, his heart was racing so fast, even in some hard situations at work, he wouldn't feel that way. This was going to be a huge step in his life.

« Thank you Miss Rollins for being here » he said as he poured two glasses with sparkling wine.

« Thank you for the invitation Mr McGarrett », she replied as he invited her to sit.

They looked at each other as none of them knew what to say. This was so perfect.

« I really like the efforts you put in all of this Steve, really... » Catherine said, her voice full of love

« I should have done this before... » he smiled, happy to see how joyful she was. « To us... », he said while raising his glass to her.

« To us... »

The dinner was excellent, they couldn't stop talking, laughing, remembering things, this was just pure happiness. Pure bliss.

« This place is so beautiful Steve...it's just perfect..when I'm here I feel like...like...in peace with myself... » Catherine said, not waiting for an answer, as she looked at the sea and the waves, lost in her thoughts.

Steve heart beat faster and faster. _Now...Do it...Now !_

As she looked back at him, she could see he was going to do something. She could see he was anxious. Steve stood up from his chair and went towards her with a nervous but sincere smile on his face, making Catherine's heart beat faster and faster as well. She knew exactly what this was. This wasn't happening right now ? Or was it ?

« Steve ? »

He got down on one knee and pulled out the box from the pocket inside his jacket and opened it. A beautiful, over-the-top, huge diamond ring.

« Cath... » he began

Catherine shook her head, tears filling her beautiful eyes. She couldn't believe this was happening.

« You are everything to me...you're my lover, my confident, my biggest supporter, my...my best friend. We've been through...well through hell and high water these past years...but our love has always prevailed...we're meant to be together..you..you make me feel alive and important...you're the love of my life Cath and...and I belong to you...we're in this together..so...Catherine Rollins...will...will you marry me ? »

Catherine couldn't believe that this was real. She had tears of emotion rolling down her cheeks. That was the most amazing, beautiful thing anyone had ever said to her.

« I...I... » she felt stupid as she couldn't even say the word YES. She was way too moved to tears by his words « Yes...Yes..of course yes ! » she said as the tears became more and more important. She couldn't even see properly. Steve smiled harder than he ever had before and slipped the ring onto her finger. They both laughed as he picked her up and swung her around. Catherine then looked up and kissed him more passionately than she ever had. He wrapped his arms around her and deepened the kiss. She slowly backed out of it, watching the ring on her finger.

« It's beautiful Steve, it's...I don't even have words...I can't believe it...I...»

« I can't believe I finally ask you..it was about time right ?!... » he smiled softly

« Yeah... » she chuckled « we're getting married ? »

« We're getting married... » Steve said. Right now he was the happiest man on earth. She would have say yes. She said yes.

« Is it the...is it the same ring as when... » Catherine asked, wanting to know if he bought a new ring or if it was the same that he bought more than 2 years ago.

« It's the only one and single ring I've ever bought...I knew it was for you and...I just...I just always kept it... »

Catherine looked at it again, it was like the ring was made just for her. « I love you Steve... »

« I love you too Catherine... »

Their eyes were locked together, full of love. Steve caressed Catherine's face before his lips came crashing down on hers. She deepened the kiss and run her hands through Steve's hair. They both wanted this moment to never end. Catherine felt like she was the heroine of one of these dramatic-romantic movies. Steve felt so relieved that she said yes. Now was the start of another brand new chapter.

An hour later, they were both inside the house again, still on their cloud nine, already wondering how they would announce it to their families and friends. Catherine was already dreaming of her dress. There wasn't another feeling inside them except from happiness.

« Now...will you meet me upstairs Sailor ? I think we should keep celebrating this wonderful moment» Catherine asked, as she wrapped her arms around him and looked at Steve with a look full of several feelings : love, desire, passion.

« Of course I'll meet you upstairs...I just have to turn off the lights outside..but I'll be there in a minute » he said, then kissed her neck tenderly.

« I'll wait for you »

Steve went out to turn off the little lights he put on the trees near the beach. The love he felt for her that night was stronger than ever. He will finally be able to marry the only girl he ever loved. He was proud at him as he remained calm during the proposal. Steve turned off the lights and as he walked back, heard his cellphone. « Unknown ». _What the hell is this ?_

« Who is this ? » he said, loudly, but once again, heard no one, just someone's breathing. « Look, I don't have any time for your bullsh*i ! What the hell do you want ? I have ressources ! I can find who you are son of b*tch! » He was so mad that this person was ruining this perfect moment. That's when he heard something. A deep hoarse voice, frightening, he couldn't say if it was a man or a woman, if it was someone young or someone old.

 _ **-You...will...die...of...sorrow...**_ said the voice.

Steve didn't know if he heard well, he frowned « I can't hear you ! » he shouted

 _ **-You...will...die...of...sorrow...**_ said the voice once again, the person was obviously someone who didn't want anything good.

« I don't know what you're talking about ! »

- _ **I...will...take...her...away...from...you...You...will...die...of...sorrow...**_

Steve stood still. _He will take her away from me, I will die of sorrow...this person wants to hurt Catherine_...He began to freak out. Before he could reply, the person hung up.

 _To be continued..._


	12. Chapter 11 - Lose control

Steve was surprised to see that Catherine had felt asleep on the bed. She must have been really tired, she had such a peaceful look on her face. She was going to be his wife and he couldn't be happier.

Steve laid beside her, watching as she was sleeping peacefully in her underwears. Her soft brown hair was splayed across the pillow, her body turned towards him. She managed to fall asleep after the activities of the day, after this magical proposal, and he didn't want to wake her up. Steve ran his fingertips gently over her arm, brushing her hair away from her face. She was so beautiful, the most important thing in his life. And he was afraid to lose her again. The idea made his heart clench inside his chest. It wasn't the first time he was scared that something bad would happen. It became a reccuring event in their lives, and it probably won't end right now. There were a lot of people on this island who would love to see him suffer. Steve was the best at his job, but he already killed people to protect this place, he sent others to prison. He knew the first thing he would do the following morning was to tell Catherine about it and to find who was the person behind the calls.

He didn't know how she would handle it all, when so much had happened to her, to them, in such a short amount of time. He could barely manage it.

Steve pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. He was so scared that the next time something dangerous happens, that'll be it. She'll be gone, and his life won't be worth living. He continued to watch her, thoughts running through his mind. Steve was so engrossed in his thoughts that he didn't notice that Catherine's eyes were opening slowly. She gave him a smile.

« What are you doing ? » she asked

« Thinking... » he said honestly.

He brought her hand in his, watching at the engagement ring that fitted perfectly on her finger. It's like the ring was made just for her finger.

« I still can't believe, did you really asked me to marry you ? »

« I did » he replied but then said nothing more and remained silent as he kept thinking about the calls. Who could that be ? Why ? Should he take this seriously ?

« You look...weird...you don't regret it right ? »

« What ? No Cath...of course not ! I'm so glad you said yes ! »

« Well I told you already...I would have say yes...and I did... »

Catherine squeezed his hand gently as Steve's heart swelled at her admission. He leant closer to connect his lips with hers and took comfort in her body against him.

« Thank you for being in my life Cath » he whispered

« I always will Steve... » she promised, as he draw her closer to him.

She then laid her head on his chest as he kissed the top of her head, breathing in her familiar scent, thanking the world that she was right here with him. Right where she belonged.

* * *

It was 8 am on this Sunday morning when Steve woke up to an empty bed and started to panik. He kept thinking about the calls.

« Catherine ? » he shouted but heard no answers « Catherine ?! » he shouted again as he stood up quickly from the bed and went outside the bedroom, still screaming her name « Cath ! Where are you ?! » he continued as he walked down the stairs.

« Steve ?! What ?! What ? » Catherine said, running from the kitchen to the living room with a pan in her hand. She was frying some eggs for breakfast.

« Catherine..Thank God you're here... » he let out a huge sigh of relief and took her by surprise when he hugged her so hard.

This wasn't a normal behaviour and she wanted some explanations. Maybe he had done a nightmare ?

« Steve, what's all this ? » she asked, concerned.

Without even waiting, Steve told her everything about the calls he received. She was shoked by what she heard. It's like they could never be happy. As soon as something good happened, something bad was on the way.

« I just don't get it...who would do that ? »

« I don't know Cath...but I'm worried..could it be Jake ? »

« No ! No way Steve !He's way too kind and would never do that...by the way, the person said _I would take her away from you_...he didn't say my name..maybe he's not talking about me... »

« Catherine, you're the only « her » in my life...of course he's talking about you »

« Maybe not...you have Doris, Mary... »

« No...no...it's you... »

« Okay...well...who's your enemies ? »

« I have way too many enemies here...I should call the team and - » Steve was quickly interrupted by Catherine

« Steve, it's Sunday...let them rest... »

« Catherine...I can't spend the day without trying to figure out who is doing this ! »

« I know...I know...look..why don't we eat breakast and then we could go together to the headquarters and trying to find who's behind these unknown calls...now just relax okay...I think we have lots to celebrate and I don't want this to be ruined... » she said, pointing at her engagement ring.

« Yeah I'm sorry...it's just that...I don't want anyone to hurt you... »

« And I won't let anyone hurt me, or hurt you, or hurt Peanut » she said as the cat was meowing for some food.

« Do you hear the song Peanut is singing Steve ? » she asked while watching the cat, trying to relax the atmosphere.

« What song ? »

« The song called ' _Human, there's no food in my bowl_ ' ». This comment made Steve laugh a little « Now go take a shower and then sit down, and I'll finish making breakfast ».

Catherine didn't want to show Steve that she was anxious or scared about what he told her. She felt defeated. Now that they were engaged, someone was threatening them. She would not let anyone ruin what she had with Steve and she will fight for it. Whoever was behind these calls, she would discover it.

She finished preparing breakast and brought in two plates at the table, where Steve sat down. While they were enjoying their meal, Catherine asked :

« So..when do you want to get married ? »

Steve laughed and felt embarrassed, they were actually talking about THEIR wedding.

« I don't know..I'm not good at this stuff Cath..it's up to you...not in too long like...I don't want to wait too long... »

« Great, because neither do I ! I was thinking about like maybe...in 6 or 8 months... »

« Yeah sure ! The sooner the better ! I don't want to wait a whole year ! »

« We have to announce it to everyone ! » she said, excited

« Well as soon as Danny will know, the whole world will know ! » Steve chuckled

« My parents will be over the moon ! So will Doris ! And Mary ! »

« If I even find where my mom is ! » Steve stopped her

« I'm sure we'll find out ! I have to make a list ! Lots of lists actually ! Well no...I want a simple wedding...but lists are great right ! »

Steve was so touched to see how much she was already 100% in the wedding programming progress.

« We have to do lists, I agree ! But don't ask me anything about flowers please ! »

Catherine was not listening to him as she was already planning the wedding in her head. He was relieved to see that she had lots of ideas as he knew he was bad at planning such a big event !

« No vows ! Please no vows...should we invite Sang Min ? Yes we should ! We have to pick a date ! »

« Catherine, why don't we plan a moment, just the two of us, to figure out what to do, when etc... ? » he laughed

« Yes, you're right..please don't think I'm crazy ! Oh you already regret it right ? »

Steve laughed even harder « I don't...I don't... ».

They were interrupted by Steve's cell phone ringing as they both stood still. Was it the same unknown call ?

They both let out a huge sigh when they saw it was «Danny ». Steve picked it up while Catherine cleared the table. Danny wanted to know if Steve had some free time to help him with some DIY at his house, so Steve decided to tell him about the calls, and of course his friend agreed to meet him and Catherine at the headquarters in an hour. Danny's help was always welcome.

After that, Steve felt himself relax a little, as it was already 9.30 am and that , except for Danny, nobody called. He made his way to the kitchen when he heard Catherine talking to the cat.

Steve gave her a playful grin on his lips.

« Are you turned on by the way I'm talking to Peanut ? Because this would be extra weird» she said, which make them both burst into laughter

« Ha ha very funny ...no I was just thinking that you were beautiful ! »

« Oh I know what you're thinking about, but it's not happening, I just had a shower and my make-up is perfect for the day ! » Catherine protested but teased him in the same time.

« Oh, really ? »Steve grabbed her by the waist and kissed her tenderly.

« Hey hey hey..no no no » she released herself from his hands, laughing

Steve sighed and knew he lost the battle.

« Right...but you didn't even gave me a proper 'good morning' kiss »

Catherine laughed at his pouty face. She grabbed his waist, pulled him closed, looked into his eyes, and kissed him in a long and deep kiss. Their kisses were addictive. They both needed them every time. « Good morning Commander »

* * *

They arrived in the headquarters in time. Danny was there already, as well as Grover, who was contacted by Danny.

« Oh guys...you didn't had to be here...I'm sorry we ruined your Sunday ! » Catherine said, giving both men a welcome hug.

« Don't worry about this » Grover said

« Yeah, I was all alone at home anyw- » Danny stopped as his big eyes saw the ring on Catherine's finger« Oh...My...GOD ! »

Catherine and Steve both blushed.

« Yeah...I finally asked » Steve said.

Grover didn't understood as first, until he noticed the wonderful ring « Boy!Congratulations ! ».

« He did it ! He did it ! Thank you thank you thank you ! »Danny said as he took Catherine hand in his. He looked crazy, but he was just being him. He then looked at Steve and winked at him. « I knew you could do it ! Look how happy I am right now !»

Both Grover and Danny congratulated them dozens of times. This was it. Steve and Catherine were getting married, it was official ! Danny began to ask too much questions about what they planned, but Steve told him they still haven't discuss the details.

« We should really talk about the calls...I want to track the number but it's an unknown one, I know we can find out with our software program... » Steve said, concentrated

« Yes..well it depends...give me your phone... » Grover replied, as he took Steve's phone and put it on the huge computerized table. He did lots of manœuvres and after several tests, he announced :

« Well...all we know right now is that this unknown number is calling you from the island...here.. from O'ahu...but it seems to be a prepaid phone...wait a minute...no...well yeah, that's all we got... »

« If the number call me now we would know the exact location... » Steve replied

« Yes...that would help... »

« Right, so I'll wait until the number calls me back... »

« We're staying here... » Catherine caressed his back as she could see he was under stress.

Real love is always chaotic. You lose control, you lose perspective. You lose the ability to protect yourself. The greater the love, the greater the chaos. And that was their story.

 _To be continued..._

* * *

 _Chapter 12 is longer and almost finished, it will be online by the end of the week._

 _Thank you once again for your kind reviews !_

 _I'm sure you saw that Daniel Dae Kim and Grace Park won't be in season 8, it was kind of a shock for me as I really loved them...I first watched Hawaii Five-0 for Daniel, as I was a big fan of his character in « Lost », then I fell in love with Catherine and Steve. Now that none of my favorite characters are in the show anymore, I feel totally sad, I know it's just a TV show but I really am. No Catherine, no Chin ( which means no Sarah and no Abby anymore I think), no Kono ( so no Adam...) I'm desperate ! How do you feel about that ? The only hope I have is that...now that Daniel and Grace left, maybe they would **REALLY** think about bringing Michelle back, I really cross my fingers...and deep down I'm like « they have no choice but to bring her back, it's been too long » ! So let's wait ( again again and again )..._

 _Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter 11. Let me know what you think will happen or would like to see happen ! Chapter 12 online before the end of the week;) ( if you still want more ^^ )_

 _Xoxo_

 _Vanou_


	13. Chapter 12 - Silenced by the night

A month and a half had passed since Steve received the phone calls and since that day ( the same day that he proposed to Catherine ), not one single call from an unknown number had been received. They were never able to find the location of the calls. Steve and Catherine both aknowledged that if was just a bad joke, a very bad one, but now, 1 month and a half later, they were more serene.

It was Friday and the whole team decided to eat at the spot where Kamekona had his shrimp truck. They just wrapped a case and they were all relieved to finally sit down, talk and laugh. Catherine was there as well. For the last month, she helped Five-0 with almost every cases but she still wasn't an official member, even if she thought she would feel comfortable in the task force. As Kono officially left for the mainland, she could be a good female ingredient.

« Why are you always eating so fast Steve ! » Danny complained and shook his head as his partner was, indeed, eating faster than everyone else.

Steve rolled his eyes « 'Cause I'm hungry ! »

Catherine laughed. Steve had his own way to eat and it wasn't always very romantic, but it was comical to watch and she always loved seeing him so concentrated with his food.

« Seriously Catherine ! You have to tell him something ! »Danny continued

« Well..I find this kinda cute actually ! » She confessed. Steve winked at her.

« See, my girl says it's cute ! » Steve replied, amused.

Danny mumbled something as everyone else laughed.

« So, tell us...how is the wedding preparation going on ? » Chin asked

Catherine felt like a little girl everytime she had to talk about the wedding, and Steve loved to see her that way.

« Well...we agreed on the date, the location, the guests, the orchestra, the bridesmaids, the groomsmen, and even the flowers ! You will all receive the wedding invitations in like...a week or two...right Steve ? »

« Yeah right ! We also decided not to say any vows and I'm still very unsure about a bachelor party- »

« What ?! No ! Come on ! You need to have a bachelor party ! » Grover interrupted, followed by Danny and Chin !

« Yeah you have to ! » « Come on Steve ! » « I was ready to plan everything ! »

« I'm 41, guys...that's not someting for me ! » Steve replied, as Catherine laughed.

« Oh sorry grandpa I didn't know that the fun would stop when you're 41 ! » Danny complained.

«Did you tell Doris yet ? » Chin asked

« Yes...yes...we were able to catch her on the phone and she told us she wouldn't miss it...same for Mary and for my parents » Catherine began « They were all a bit shocked by the announce but they were all like 'it was about time' you know ! »

« Of course it was about time ! » Lou agreed as the others nodded.

« You know...I think that in life, you need to sometimes be with the wrong person. I think you need to fight and cry and sweat and bleed and fail. I think you need to have bad relatioships and bad breakups. I think you need all of that so that, when the right person and the right relationship comes along...you can sigh with relief and say 'Ah yes...That is how its supposed to feel' » Catherine said as she looked at Steve with so much love. He had been very touched by her words and smiled shyly.

« That's so true ! Maybe it will help me to figure out my love life right now... » Danny sighed, as he was still very uncertain about Rachel and Melissa.

The group of friend spent hours talking and laughing and then all headed to their places to enjoy their weekend.

* * *

The movie had just finished. Steve looked at the time and realized how late it was. He looked down at Catherine and realized she had fallen asleep on him, she looked so peaceful that he didn't want to wake her. She barely slept the previous nights because of the Five-0 case, so she was exhausted. Steve knew she would probably be more comfortable in bed so he would have to wake her up. Steve gently rubbed small circles on Catherine's back while he whispered.

« Cath...wake up... »

Catherine stirred a little and yawned, then looked up at him sleepily.

« Hmmm...is the movie over ? » she asked, still half asleep.

« Yeah... » Steve chuckled « Come on...let's get you to bed... » He said as he still lovingly rubbed her back.

They both got ready for bed quickly then got into it. Steve laid on his back as Catherine laid with her head on his chest.

« I'm so tired , like...so...so tired...» she whispered, half asleep.

Steve put his arms her« Sweet dreams... » He whispered while he rubbed her back.

Both of them fell asleep peacefully after long days of work.

They were awakened by Steve's cell phone ringing. It was Duke from the HPD.

« Oh no...I thought our weekend would have been so quiet ! » Catherine said, groggy and not fully awake.

« Me too... ». Steve looked at the clock on his phone before he answered. It was 2.52 am.

« McGarrett ! On my way ! » he quickly said « Cath you just keep sleeping alright ? I have to go » Steve apologized.

« Alright..you call me if you need me there...» Catherine told him in a sleepy voice, eyes closed. He laid down to kiss her rapidly on the cheek « Be safe ». He walked towards the door.

« I will...now go back to sleep.. » Steve said, and with that, he was gone. In a hurry, he forgot to set the alarm of the house. That's something he would soon regret.

He didn't notice the 2 men who had been waiting in a van, a few houses down. He didn't knew the same men had been spying the house a lot for the past weeks. They were just waiting for a good moment to make their move. They wanted her to be alone. Him to be gone. In the middle of the night. And that night was the perfect moment. They pulled the van up so it was right in front of Steve and Catherine's house, then they grabbed their guns and made their way to the front door.

Those men were very dangerous men. They used to work for Desmond Abati, the uranium bomb maker that Steve was in contact with and, the notorious criminal, the terrorist. Abati was dead. Steve didn't kill him, but he did kill many others in the jungle, the day him and Danny were looking for Abati. And now, the 2 men that were about to hurt Catherine, well, they wanted revenge. The whole group wanted revenge. Steve killed several men during this mission. Dangerous men. Brothers or friends of other dangerous men. And here they were, after weeks of preparation and spying.

They entered the quiet house very easily, not doint any single noise. Catherine was in a deep sleep in her bedroom. The men made their way upstairs and approached the first room. One of them swung open the door and saw her. There she was. Suddenly, they grabbed Catherine by the hair and ripped her up.

Catherine didn't know if she was still sleeping and having a nightmare or if all of this was happening, she was in a blur, she was in a deep sleep and now she was in the hands of two men trying to do something to her. She then finally screamed and fought back, but they were two and they harshly began to pull her towards the doorway. She fought back so hard that one of them let go of her hair, and she took this chance to kick the other in the face and made a run to the bottom of the stairs but the men were too quick for her. She suddenly felt something push her from behind. One of the man had caught up to her, knocking her into the table of the living room and then onto the floor. When she hit the table, she knocked everything off of it and knocked one of the chairs over as well. Once on the ground, one of the man instantly got on top of her and straddled her while the other pulled out the duct tape he'd been hiding.

« No, please...what did I do to you ? » Catherine questioned, out of breath

« It's not about you...it's about what McGarrett did...he killed lots of us, he will pay for it ! »

Catherine was fighting them, trying everyway she could to get away, but they were too strong for her. Even if she was very good at fighting, at this right moment, there's nothing she was able to do.

They duct taped her mouth shut and brought out some rope they had in their pockets. One of them grabbed her forcefully by the shoulders and flipped her over so she was now laying on her stomach and he tied her hands behind her back.

He then stood up and grabbed her roughly by the arm and pulled her up too.

« Let's go » he said to his accomplice.

But Catherine wasn't done fighting them. She ripped her arm away and tried to run again but this time, one of the man tackled her from behind and they landed on the couch, her on the bottom and him on top. He had his knee in her back, and pushed her head hard into the cushion. The man then bent down slowly and traced circles on the side of her face with his tongue as he ran his hand up her nightgown, before he whispered angrily in her ear.

« Listen..you're making this impossible...cooperation is key my dear... »

Catherine was sobbing the entire time. They had her completely trapped. She didn't know what else to do. All she wanted was Steve to come and rescue her.

The man then pulled her up the couch with more force than before and pulled the gun out of the back of his pants.

Catherine's eyes widened, she was totally terrified. The other man let out a menacing laugh when he saw how scared she was. And with that, the other one reached up and hit her hard across the face with the butt of the gun, instantly knocking her to the floor and unconscious. He hit her so hard that blood was already trickling out of the gash above her left eye, leaving blood on the hard wood floor.

The men carried her outside, in the night, threw her into the back of the van and left.

* * *

Catherine woke up only to find herself lying on a cement floor. Her mouth was still duct taped and her hands were still tied behind her back. She sat up slowly so she wouldn't make her headache worse. A tear made its way down her face. She looked around the room for something that could help her get the rope off but she saw nothing that would help her. She was alone, in what looked like a basement. The floor and walls looked to be made of cement. It smelled as if something had died and there were no windows. The only light was from a single light bulb. There were old wooden stairs that led up to what she assumed was the first floor. From what she could tell, the only way out of here was through that door. Catherine tried to free herself but the rope was tied too tightly. She then began to cry, there was no way for her to escape, she was trapped. She was shivering in both fear and from being cold. All she was wearing was her nightgown and had no shoes on.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps upstairs. They were making their way to the door. She tried to think of what she could do but found no plan. Only one man made his way down the steps and walked towards her. Even if she was tied up, Catherine began to scoot away from him . The man found this amusing.

« Where do you think you're going ? » he chuckled

Catherine began to cry again when she could no longer crawl any farther away. The man suddenly slapped her across the face. She winced in pain as he slammed her head into the cement floor. Catherine screamed out in pain. She sobbed and tried to sat up.

« I don't remember giving you the permission to get up ! » the man sneered as he again pushed her head back down to the ground, this time even harder. Catherine could feel the stream of blood coming from the wound now in the side of her head. She remained laying on the ground like he told her.

The man clearly wanted to make her suffer. He kicked her square in the back as Catherine let out a muffled scream as pain exploded in the area he kicked her.

« STAND UP ! » he shouted, but she didn't even had the energy to do so.

« YOU STAND UP ! » he yelled as he again kicked her in the back. Catherine screamed out in complete agony but still wouldn't stand up. The man reached down and grabbed her bu the throat and pulled her up. He was completely cutting off her air supply. He then spat several times in her face, she had tears pouring down her face and couldn't speak since she still had duct tape on her man laughed when he saw how much she was struggling to breath. The man finally released his grip on her and allowed her to fall to the ground, where Catherine passed out.

« I think it's time for me to call someone... » he said to himself. The man took out the phone from his pocket and dialed Steve's number.

* * *

It was 4.20 am. Steve was at a crime scene with Chin and Grover. A man had been murdered and left dead in his hotel room. They were trying to figure out what happened. That's when his phone rang and that he saw « Unknown ». Steve immediatly knew that something bad had happened.

« I told you...she'll pay for your mistakes...» the man said then hung up.

Steve heart began to beat harder and harder, everything became blur. He tried to call Catherine. Once. Twice. Three times. She never answered. He knew someone took her.

« You son of a b*tch ! » Steve screamed. Duke, Chin and Grover went to him. He was shaking and they tried to calm him down as they didn't understand what was going on.

« HE TOOK HER ! SOMEONE TOOK CATHERINE !» he was enraged. « WE NEED TO FIND HER ! Duke get some men over my house ! Chin, call Danny and Abby ! Lou, call Jerry ! I want to know where she is ! NOW ! » Steve was angry, he was agitated, tensed, scared. _I should have never ignore these phone calls ! I should have never let her all alone ! But I set the alarm...holy sh*t ! No ! I forgot !_

Steve was now petrified. He went to his car and threw his phone down on the passenger seat and sped even faster down the road hoping to make it home fast to find some evidence of where she could be trapped. He didn't even noticed the tears on his face.

He finally arrived home, parked his truck and jumped out of it. He didn't even bother closing the door of it. He ran towards the front door, it had been left wide open. Steve hurriedly made his way around the house. Steve noticed the chairs from the living room were knocked over, things in this place were smashed or moved out the way, he knew she had been fighting, struggling. He needed to find her, he needed to hold her, he needed to tell her she was safe now. That's when he noticed the blood on the floor. He bent down and looked at the amount of blood that was on the floor. « Oh no...Cath... » he whispered as more tears made their way down his cheeks.

Some HPD agents soon arrived, as well as Danny and Duke.

« Steve ! Steve ! » Danny shouted as he rushed to his friend. « We'll find her ! We'll find her okay ! The HPD is trying to look for some fingerprints ! »

« This is all my fault Danny... » Steve said, defeated, he looked so sad.

This was his life. The people he loved always died. And now it was Catherine's turn.

« Steve, this is not your fault ! We'll find her ! »

A few minutes passed and Steve had his mind everywhere, he was giving orders, calling Chin, calling Grover, he had no time to lose ! That's when an HPD agent told him that they found several DNA on the scene and that they will send them right away to the lab. So, he jumped in his truck and made his way to the headquarters, followed by Danny.

* * *

 _ **Flashback**_

 _Catherine sat across the table from Steve, just gazing at him. It felt so good to be with him, enjoying dinner, enjoying him. Since she was back from Washington and living with Steve, they were very open about their feelings. She was committed to him. Heart, body and soul._

 _Steve ran up his fingers up her arm and placed his hand on the base of her neck. His other hand rested on her thigh. Catherine got chills. She leaned forward as he kissed her. The kiss was soft at first but quickly became passionate. She felt herself starting to lose control but she didn't care. She wanted him._

 _« Mmm...Cath...slow down... » Steve said breathlessly to her. He pulled back and looked at her. There was something in her eyes that thrilled him. « You're ruining my plans Miss Rollins. Dinner, dancing and THEN dessert. » Steve stood up and held his hand out to her. « May I ? » He asked. Catherine smiled and took his hand._

 _The band had started playing a few minutes ago but she had barely noticed. Steve walked her a few feet from the table. He placed one hand on the small of her back and took the one that held her hand and pulled it close to his chest. They began to sway slowly to the music. Catherine gazed up at him for a moment and then rested her head on his shoulder. Her pulse quickened as he hummed softly along with the music._

 _Later, as they were back home and in their bedroom, Steve was laying on the bed wearing nothing but his black boxer briefs. He was looking at some random stuffs on his phone when she appeared in the doorway. Steve's mouth fell open at the sight in front of him. Cathering was standing there, wearing a black babydoll nightie. Her hair was down and falling onto her shoulders._

 _« Wow... » was all he could say._

 _She walked over to the side of the bed as he sat up and put his feet on the floor. He reached out for her as she stood directly in front of him and placed her hands on each side of his face. Steve looked up at her. With each of his hands on her waist, he leaned in and kissed her stomach._

 _« Wow... » he whispered again. Smiling, Catherine kissed him passionately. She desperately wanted to continue the kiss he had halted at the restaurant. Steve wasn't ready for the intensity but quickly caught up. Their hands had no boundaries and moved all over one another. Suddenly, Steve stopped._

 _« What's wrong ? » Catherine asked. Steve just smiled at her as he lifted her from his lap and laid her out on the bed. Starting at her lips, he allowed his mouth to meet with every inch of her skin. They then made love all night long. It felt great..._

Catherine felt great...but now something was wrong, she was sleeping so deeply... _what time is it ? Why do I feel so bad ?Where is Steve ?_ Catherine heard a noise behind her. It sounded like the scraping of a chair against a cement floor. She turned over. The cold was becoming unbearable. She would have to get more blankets, she thought. But she felt oh so drowsy.

« Wake up ! » someone said. Where was that voice coming from, Catherine thought, confused.

« WAKE UP ! » The voice was louder, insistent and coarse.

Then Catherine felt a splash of icy cold water in her face. She coughed and gasped for air while her eyes blinked widly. She remembered where she was. Catherine sat up and with the back of her hands, still tied, wiped her eyes. Salty tears, mixed in with the water her captor had thrown in her face, began to fall. Please Steve, help me...help me...she thought.

 _To be continued..._

* * *

 _ **Hello everyone ! I want to thank you all for the reviews on the last chapter and especially for your thoughts about H50 season 8 without Chin/Kono and maybe a possible return of Catherine ! I always love to know what you think about the show as well ! Special thanks to Laura and Cath for your deep analysis! And for all the others for your reviews! :) It means a LOT LOT LOT ! Without you I would have never continue the writing.**_

 _ **I feel like Catherine WILL be back one day or another, most of you saw Peter Lenkov reply to a very smart question about McRoll « It's chapter 5 in my book. Coming soon » so I'm extra excited, even if I don't know what he really meant ...and as Sarah Carter ( Lynn ) is pregnant with her first child, I wonder if she would continue her role as Lynn ? I can't cope with seeing Steve with another woman than Catherine. Hopefully she'll be back soon...what does your gutts tell you ?**_

 _ **Now, hope you guys enjoyed this chapter.I wanted to make this since the beginning, like...to put them through one last big drama, then I promise it would be it:p ! And I hope you liked the Flashback!**_

 _ **Next chapter coming soon !**_

 _ **xoxo Vanou**_


	14. Chapter 13 - You're my life support

_Have you ever been in love ? Horrible isn't it ? It makes you so vulnerable. It opens your chest and it opens up your heart and it means that someone can get inside you and mess you up. You give them a piece of you. They didn't ask for it. They did something dumb one day, like kiss you or smile at you, and then your life isn't your own anymore. Love takes hostages. It gets inside you. It eats you out and leaves your crying in the darkness._

An hour had passed. It was way too much for Steve and it was like he wasn't himself anymore. He was like a ghost. Danny, Lou, Jerry, Chin and Abby were there.

« So...we found several DNAs on the scene Steve, that's our guys » Grover said, while pictures of several men appeared on the screen.

« I don't recognize any of them... » Danny murmured, as Steve had tears of anger in his eyes. He was deeply looking at the men but couldn't say who it was.

« This guy is Gareth Reeves. He was arrested twice, once in 2001 for drug trafic and in 2009 for several armed robbery. He went out of jail 2 years ago for good behaviour. The other one is Harold Figueroa - »

« Wait... » Steve interrupted « Figueroa, like Jose Figueroa ? »

« It was his brother... » Grover answered

That's the moment when everything made sense in Steve's head. Last year. The terrorist training camp in the jungle. The bomb he and Danny destabilzed. Desmond Abati, one of the FBI Most Wanted. Abati's men. He and Danny killed several men that day, but they had no choice, they would have been killed otherwise. One of them was Jose Figueroa, Steve shot him right in the head. And here it was, one of the man who took Catherine was his brother, Harold Figueroa. This was all revenge. She was in the hands of the devil.

« Can we locate them ? » Steve asked, concerned

« We're trying but it's taking time... » Grover said in a distressed voice

« WE DON'T HAVE TIME! » Steve shouted, agitated

« Steve calm down- » Danny added, trying to fix all the informations in his head

« Don't tell me to calm down ! » Steve yelled as he quickly went to his office, furious

As he entered it, he began to take several arms and loader arms

« Steve, we don't even know where they are..you need to calm down !»

Steve wasn't listening to Danny, all he could see was Catherine.

« If they called me, maybe it's because they want something in exchange..maybe they want...money I don't know ! » he said, while rubbing his head. Steve's eyes were red, red of sadness, red of anger, red of tiredness. He couldn't even think properly, he didn't know what to do next, it was as if he lost all his abilities.

« I think they want revenge Steve, I think we have to hurry up to find her... »

« You think I don't know that ?! »

« I didn't say that Steve! I'm saying that you have to concentrate before they kill her...we all need your help..Cath need your help... »

Steve couldn't bear it anymore. He knew what Danny wanted to tell him. He had to concentrate, to be the « Navy-SEAL Steve » they all knew, he couldn't let himself to be controlled by his emotions. He had to become himself again. She needed him. More than ever.

* * *

Harold Figueroa was a very dangerous man. He knew how to torture, he knew how to kill. But Catherine was the first woman he had to « work » with. And he enjoyed it. He wanted revenge. Steve McGarrett killed his brother last year. And since that day, he promised himself that he would hurt him the same way he was hurt when his brother died. So he kidnapped Catherine and put her in the basement of this old abandoned house. This house was a place for drug dealers, arms dealers, in a poor neighborhood in O'ahu, and he was the big boss here,no one would never ask questions. It was 40 minutes far from Honolulu. He knew he couldn't hide here forever. Harold knew that he might end being a dead man as well, Steve and his team will kill him, but he would kill Catherine first, and the moment it'll happen, it'll be too late and Steve will be left the saddest man on earth. So he didn't really care at all.

Catherine was extremely confused. She slowly tried to sat up, only to notice she had a blinding headache and was extremely dizzy, extremely weak. She could see several red spot in her veins so she assumed that the man injected her some sort of sedative that seemed to knock her out for a little period of time. That, with the beating, left her petrified. Although she had no idea how long she had been out. Catherine tried to put her hand up to her head but realized that she was tied up, she forgot about it. She looked around and knew she was in that same basement again.

« Good...you're awake now ! » Harold smiled, amused by her look. This man was the devil himself. He knelt down next to her. Catherine didn't dare to move and just kept her eyes fixed on the ground.

Harold glared at her as he stood up and towered over her. He then reached up and slammed his fist into her face. Catherine cried out in pain. She tried as best as she could to curl herself up into a ball to protect herself from the beating but it didn't really help since her hands were tied. Harold beat her mercilessly, he kicked and hit her multiple times, saying stuffs like « He'll pay ! » « Look what McGarrett did to you ! » « He deserves this ! ». After several minutes of rough beating, it finally stopped. Catherine was curled up on the ground crying, with bruises forming from where he hit her. She couldn't fight back, this was over, this guy won. Harold then reached down and grabbed her roughly by the arm and yanked her up so she was sitting. Catherine cried out in pain, everything hurt so bad...she honestly didn't think that she could handle another round of beating... _Steve, where are you ?_

Catherine's cheeks were stained with tears. Harold then bent down over her and ripped the tape off of her mouth. That made her gasped in pain.

« Catherine...you know, I have nothing against you...McGarrett is the one I want...he killed my borther...Jose...he had a wife, 2 beautiful kids..so...if I want him to suffer, what could I do ? You were the only choice... » Harold said, acting nice

Catherine nodded in agreement, she would do anything right now not to be beaten again.

Harold smiled at her « Good...that's a good girl..I knew you'll understand... I know you'll understand that I have to kill you...»

Catherine's eyes grew wide as she looked him straight in the eyes, she was completely terrified that this would happen.

« He killed my brother you know...he killed him and he wasn't even sad about it ! »Harold said, mad

« He was a bad person...that's why Steve killed him... » Catherine said as confidently as she could, even though it only came out as a weak whisper.

« Excuse me ? » Harold could'nt believe what she just said. Furious, he slapped her again hard across the face, kicked her in the stomach, in her 's body was shutting down, it couldn't handle much more pain. She did the only thing left that she could do, she laid herleft down on the ground and started to cry...she noticed how cold it was in the room. That made her broke down again in quiet sobs, she hoped that all of this was just a 's when Harold came again and with a gigantic force, kicked her in her poor face with his big shoe. And she passed out.

* * *

She reminds him of every good day he's ever had. Every summer spent in fields of grass. Every sunrise. Every sunset. She tastes like dew and smells like light. And when she speaks, it's like someone slowly plucking the strings of a guitar, a sadly beautiful song starting to play, all his own. And he loves her.

It was late in the night now, and after hours of hard work and thanks to Jerry's skills in data processing, the team was able to localize several address where Catherine could be confined. They were working hands in hands with the HPD and they all had to go to a different address to ckeck in. The 5-0 team were altogether in a single big black armored car. They had all their equipment with them and they were all more than ready to save Catherine. But since they took her, way too many hours had passed. Was she still alive ? Steve had a good feeling when he entered this poor neighborhood in Wahiawa. This place is 10th in the state in terms of crime, and drug use runs rampant. Total crimes are 22 percent higher here than the state as a whole. Steve was determined, and while he was driving, couldn't help but got lost in thoughts. He could see Catherine in a beautiful white dress the day of their wedding, or Catherine rocking their first child, a girl. He could see Catherine playing with all their kids in their garden, he could see her smile...

That's when they arrived close to the street and got out of the car.

It was sometime after midnight when people with dark clothes arrived. Five people, faces covered like ninka warriors. Harold Figueroa and his crew of men were chatting, sleeping or doing drugs, and had no idea what was about to hit them. Steve told his team not to fire their weapons. The sound of gunfire would attract too much notice and might bring other fighters out of the streets, so the task force moved swiftly through the abandoned house, snapping necks and knifing, slicing and dicing all of Figueroa's men who came across their path. When they reached the back area of the house, they saw a door that should lead to a basement.

Catherine, almost delirious after hours of beating and of sedative injections thought she heard something upstairs. « He's coming to beat me again » she thought, bloodied, half awake, half asleep.

A gunfire broke out. Harold Figueroa, who heard Steve and his team arriving in the house, appeared and started shooting. The team shot back. The gunfires sounded so real, so close. Catherine thought that perhaps she was being saved, that maybe Steve found her, that maybe this was really happenning. She wanted to scream, to let know she was there but she didn't even had the energy to scream. She tried, but nothing came out. And no one would hear her in the midst of all that gunfire...

Suddenly, the door to the room burst wide open. Two men holding guns stood in the doorway. When they saw that Catherine was alone, the men ripped off the black masks that were covering their heads. Olivia couldn't see clearly but she knew who that was. It was Steve. It was Danny.

Steve and Danny rushed to Catherine. What he saw broke his heart, he wanted to cry so hard but he knew he couldn't, he had to be brave, to be strong for her. She was covered in blood, she had blue scars everywhere, like really everywhere, her nose looked broken, her ankle too. Some parts of her head had some hair left, her face was so swell.

« Cath...Catherine...Baby I'm here...I'm here...I'm taking you home...you're safe...» Steve said and couldn't resist but broke down in tears. He untied the rope and took her in his arms, caressing her hair and rocking her as if she was a little girl.

Catherine smiled weakly and fainted. Danny had already called 911 and Lou, Chin and Abby were upstairs, they had touched Figueroa with several bullets but Steve told them not to kill him. He wanted to do it by himself.

While the paramedics took care of Catherine, Steve ordered his team ( except for Danny), to go with her at Tripler Medical Center.

Before the HPD arrives, Danny and Steve took advantage of the fact that they were left alone in the house where Catherine had been trapped. They took a very injured Figueroa downstairs and pushed him hard on the ground. Danny looked at Steve and nodded. And it began. Steve couldn't control himself anymore and began to stab Harold, he tortured him, he couldn't stop, there were blood everywhere, on Figueroa and on Steve as well, he was hitting so hard ! Harold had lost consciousness for a long time now, but Steve would continue the beating, again, again, again and again, until he knew that Harold Figueroa had died. He then stood up, took his gun and shot him right in the head, before leaving the place with Danny, as if nothing had happened.

* * *

 **1 hour later**

Steve had flown out his personal doctor to attend to Catherine. After a thorough exam, the doctor came out to speak to Steve.

« Miss Rollins is severely dehydrated. She lost lots of blood so she's slightly anemic for now. She had a broken nose, her left ankle broken and had several wounds we were able to heal. All in all, considering the ordeal she's been through, I can tell you that she'll be fine. She's a tough one...even if she will have to see a therapist »

Steve sighed in relief and asked « About that other matter we spoke of...is there any evidence of... » Steve's voice trailed off. He was unable to bring himself to ask the question, but the doctor knew exactly what he was referring to.

« Yes...we did run a rape kit, and no, there was no sign of sexual assault », the doctor said compassionately.

« Right..thank God... » Steve exhaled « Can I see her now ? »

« Yes, but I just gave her a sedative » the doctor replied « Her body has been overloaded by too much pain, stress and adrenaline. What she needs the most now is an extensive period of uninterrupted rest »

« You can count on me... » Steve replied.

He quietly entered the hospital room. Catherine was in the bed, curled up in a fetal position. Her back was facing the door and Steve could clearly see a bony shoulder blade poking out through the open back of her hospital gown. A thin white sheet came up to her waist. She was hooked up to an IV and some monitors.

A wave of sadness washed over Steve when he saw the love of his life lying there. Her body looked so tiny, so fragile. Her breathing was labored but steady. She appeared to be fast asleep so Steve folded his tall, lean body into the small armchair next to her bed. He didn't want to disturb her. She needed to rest.

Catherine sensed that someone had entered the room. The sedative the doctor had given her had started to kick in but she wasn't completely knocked out yet. She slowly turned her head to see who had entered the room.

« Steve...you're here... » she said in a hoarse, drowsy whisper

« Yeah...I'm right here Cath..You're safe now...Stay still, just try to sleep okay ? I won't go anywhere » Steve said softly, leaning forward in the chair and smiling tenderly at her. He took hold of her bruised hand, raised it to his lips and kissed it lightly. « I'm not going anywhere »

The sedative finally took effect and her eyes became so heavy that she fell asleep again.

Tears began to well up in Steve's eyes. Without waking her up, he pulled down the railing of the hospital bed, climbed in beside her and spooned his body next to hers. He gently wrapped an arm around her waist and held her as his sobs shook his entire body.

He had so many things going on inside his head. He tried to stop his sobs, to dry his tears, he tried to stop it from flowing to his cheek. All of this needed to stop. The danger everywhere. He had to rewrite this story, their story, but the tears had smudged the words, clouded the vision, ruined the hope. He had to try to make their life easier. She was worth it. She was worth anything in this world. And the love they shared was indescribable. She was his life support.

To be continued...

 _I've been sleeping with the lights on_  
 _Cause the darkness is surrounding you_  
 _This is my world, this is my choice_  
 _And you're the drug that gets me through_

 _I've been waiting for an answer_  
 _Because I built this bed for two_  
 _I'm just hanging on your answer_  
 _I built this bed for me and you_

 _Can't you see that I am yours?_  
 _So will you be my life support?_  
 _You're my life support_

* * *

 _ **Thank you, MERCI for the very nice reviews, and for reading my story ! 2 month back I would have never imagine this ! Next chapter will be way less dramatic =) I wanted to do things fast to rescue her as I'm not very gifted with all the investigations things so I hope you'll forgive me ! In next chapter, I will jump one month or two**_

 _ **I always like to see what you think about the chapters and the things happening on the show ! I can't wait for season 8 to come and I can't wait to have some news about Catherine ! Peter Lenkov never said that it was the end, he always gave us hope, like the picture of the lunch they had together a few months ago that he shared on his IG... so I trust him and I hope we'll see her very soon, I don't want McRoll to be not exploited anymore, they both deserve to be together ! What are your thoughts ? Do you think we'll see her soon ? And can you all tell me where do you come from ? I'm kinda curious;)**_

 _ **Thanks again ! Xoxo Vanou**_


	15. Chapter 14 - Flashback

It was the middle of the night as Steve was still next to Catherine, she was fast asleep in his arms, her breathing was soft and she looked so peaceful. His hand went through her hair, delicately. That's when a soft smile came across his face and that he began to remember one of their many memories. It happened a weekend they went to camp.

 **FLASHBACK**

Catherine ran down the beach as Steve shouted as he followed her, running. As much as she was very feminine, she was tough. She was HIS tough woman.

She was a good distance in front of him « You're getting old McGarrett ! » she shouted

« Don't call me old ! »

« But you're slow ! » Catherine stopped and danced in front of him « A snail could catch me faster ! »

He loved it when she was teasing him. « Oh, now you're going too far ! » Steve laughed

« Yeah ? Well come and get me then ! » She said, stucking her tongue at him

« You're gonna get it ! » Steve finally reached up to her and tackled her to the soft sand.

« No ! Cheater ! » she exclaimed as she felt his body coming into contact with hers. They both fell on the sand.

« I told you I'll get you » he said, while he kissed her on the sand

Catherine moaned. It wasn't a hard kiss, but it also wasn't a delicate kiss. It was between the two.

They then felt water on their face as they both looked up, the rain began to fall.

« Oh...making out in the sand is out of question... » Catherine laughed as he got off her and as the rain started falling harder and faster.

Catherine screamed as the rain droplets hit her face. She got up out of the sand as well. Then, he took her by her hand and together, they ran through the pouring rain towards their tent. They made their way into it, covered in sand and soaked to the bone. They fell into the tent, laughing like crazy.

« You okay ? » Steve asked as she laid on the ground.

« Yes...Yes...I'm soaked but I'm perfectly fine ! » She continued to laugh. « I haven't had this much fun in such a long time ! »

As Steve continued to watch her, he realise once again how lucky he was to have this woman in his life. When he first met her, he didn't want to get involved with anyone. He didn't had the time or energy and didn't think he was ready for it. But she was so good to him and he got swept up in that, and little by little, he found himself falling for her. Since that day, Steve laughed harder with her, he felt more himself with her. He trusted her with him, the real him. When something went wrong, or right, or when he heard a funny joke, or when he saw something bizarre, Catherine was the first person he wanted to talk to about it. The love they shared were intense, they were more than lovers, they were best friends.

As Steve put a blanket aroud her, he kissed her forehead and smiled gently at her « I love you Cath...do you even know that ? »

« I love you too...and I hope you know that too... »

They both laughed together as they waited for the rain to calm down. Catherine rested her head on Steve's shoulder. She wasn't like any other woman, she was perfect to him. She was all he needed. When Steve was little, he tought love was about red roses and expensive dinners...Truth is, love is giving her half your fries when she said she wasn't hungry. It's waking up at 4am to her snoring and refraining from shoving her off the bed. It's talking in accents just for fun, and trying to embarrass gently one another in public. It's going on adventures and making fun of each other. It's stupid fights and memorable make ups. Love isn't pretty and romantic. Love is just stumbling through life with your best friend.

Half an hour later, and as the rain didn't stop, Catherine didn't wait and ran out of the tent into the pouring rain. She lifted her head to the sky and felt so good with the rain on her. Steve could see how happy and relaxed she was, so he went out as well and did the same. They locked their hands together, laughed as if it was the last time they could laugh, and they kissed, passionately, under the beautiful summer rain. And they couldn't be less happier.

 _To be continued.._.


	16. Chapter 15 - Countdown

**2 months later**

Steve put his jeans on and searched through the closet for a t-shirt, trying to clear his mind. All he could think about was Catherine. What was going through her head, what she could possibly be thinking, how she could be feeling. It's been a month since she'd been allowed to go back home and the return had been difficult at first. She was recovering from PTSD, she couldn't sleep properly and even if she said she was fine, Steve knew she wasn't totally.

Catherine had agreed to talk with a specialist and saw one once a week. She did it only to make Steve feel better, she had her own means of coping other than therapy. Steve felt like he was useless, helpless, like he had let her down, and he couldn't get past this feeling. His heart felt like it was sinking deeper and deeper in his body, moving from his chest to the pit of his stomach. Steve pulled out a grey t-shirt and put it on when he heard the bathroom door open slowly. He turned around to see Catherine with a white cotton towel wrapped around her.

« Steve, stop looking at me this way..I'm telling you I'm fine... »

« Cath...I know you're just pretending...honestly I'd love you to tell me what's inside your head... », Steve told, concerned.

« Steve...what I've been through, what we've been through...it'll take time to heal you know...but I'm recovering..I swear... » Catherine tried to reassure him.

« I know. I know Cath... » Steve sighed and gave her a comforting hug « I love you so much, more than you could ever imagine... »

« And I love you too... »

These two were bonded by love and in spirit, she was his and he was hers, for now and eternity. Steve was ready to do anything he had to keep her safe and make sure she was loved. He gave Danny the responsability to be the head of the Five-0 task force until he would be ready to work full time again. Steve was only going to work half time now and he knew his team were doing a great work, even if he wasn't always there. But right now, he needed to show Catherine he cared. And that she was his first concern. Job will come second. From now on, there will be no more drama.

* * *

 **5 months later**

« I'll cancel the wedding if you even consider of this song for our first dance! » Catherine laughed at Steve

« What's wrong with Gun's and Roses ? The wedding is in 2 weeks and we don't even have a dance right now ! »

Catherine looked up at him and put both hands on either side of Steve's face. She pulled him down so that she could kiss him soundly on his lips. She nipped at his bottom lips and thrust her tongue into his mouth when he groaned. This kiss wasn't meant to distract him but to show him how much she loved him.

« Pick 5 romantic songs and I will choose the one I prefer, what about that ? »

« Fine..okay ! » Steve agreed, smiling down at her.

« Good, now go get dressed 'cause we're gonna be late for dinner ». Catherine leaned back up to kiss him again.

« Fine, Mrs McGarrett. » Steve emphasized the lack of her maiden name « Are you going to be this bossy when we're married ? »

« Yup ! Now hurry, we don't have much time ! »

* * *

An hour later, they were in one of their favorite restaurant, the « Ocean House» on Kalia Road, in front of the sea, where Steve made reservations.

« I can't believe we're getting married in two weeks ! » Steve said, as he was looking at Catherine with so much love.

« Are you afraid ? Because I'm...well...afraid ! » Catherine replied, while taking a piece of food in her mouth « I mean...everybody will be here, staring at us, I don't like having too much attention... », she continued, nervously

Steve chuckled as he could see she was getting panicked.

« Cath...that's why we're having a small wedding, the peope that's gonna be here, they love us...they won't, you know..talk about how they don't like the flowers we chose or gossip about other stuffs...the most important is that we'll be...well...husband and wife ! » he said, lovingly

« I know Steve...I can't wait... »

Everything was almost ready. There will only be 60 persons at their wedding. Catherine's parents, Steve's mother, sister and niece would be the only real « family ». The rest of it will be their ohana on the island.

They had decided to get married on the beach in Ko Olina, O'ahu and to celebrate the rest of the day at the Lanikuhonua Cultural Center. The expansive tropical grounds, beach access and stunning ocean views will offer an ideal venue for their wedding.

Steve just had to pick a few songs so Catherine could decide which one she'd like to have as her first dance with her future husband.

The previous months had been pretty good. She was able to concentrate in the wedding preparation and to recover slowly from the attack she had suffered. Steve had been an amazing partner as he did everything for her to feel better. First, he installed outdoor security cameras all around the house and reinforced the alarm system. Then, he got a them a dog, Eddie, an adorable yellow labrador who was also a service dog and went with the team on some cases. Finally, he gave Catherine a badge and she was now, again, a full member of Five-0. Everything was doing great in their life and things will only get better with the wedding.

« So...after the wedding...should we consider about..trying to have kids... » Steve asked, looking at her with concern. Catherine blushed.

« Kids...you mean...children...hmmm, that's hmm..I wasn't expecting that question » she trailed off, giving him a sheepish smile.

« It's alright I'm sorry I didn't know what I was saying..» he replied, giving her an easy smile.

Giving each other a tentative smile, Steve opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by the waiter who asked them if they wanted a dessert. Quickly ordering two coffees, he waited until Catherine would say something.

She gave him an apologetic smile. « I'm sorry for my reaction Steve...I mean...it's not a « no ». Of course I'd like to have children with you..but I don't want us to be like these couples who organize their sexual lives with all the ovulatory season- »

« That's not what I asked, I love our intimate life and I don't want it to change ! »

« I know, me neither ! »

They both looked at each other with a puzzled look and began to laugh incontrollably, this whole situation was too funny for them. A few years ago they wouldn't even called themselves « boyfriend and girlfriend », and now they were talking about having kids. And that's how their perfect evening at the restaurant ended.

* * *

They headed back home and were welcomed by Eddie and Peanut which were happy to see their owners. Eddie was definitely a « daddy boy » while Peanut was always following Catherine everywhere.

The problem is that Steve and Catherine totally ignored them as they were alaready teasing each other previously in the car. They headed home full of desire for each other and as they entered the house, they kissed each other right away and headed to their bedroom, Steve carrying Catherine over to the bed. Heat pooled in both of their bodies. Catherine giggled as she felt on the bed, then they shared a passionate kiss and a beautiful and intense intimate session.

Catherine collapsed and rested her head on his shoulder, who put his arms around her and kissed her neck. They were both trying to catch breath. Catherine moved her head off her lover's shoulder and looked at him with a huge smile on her face.

« That was...amazing Cath... » Steve moaned.

« Yeah it was...it's amazing how manageable life can feel with only one blanket and the right two arms...» she kissed him again as they shared a long and loving kiss.

« Now... » Steve began « I want to sleep with you - »

« What ? But we just- » Catherine was quickly interrupted

« I don't mean having sex again. I mean sleeping. Together. Under these blakets, in this perfect bed...With your hand on my chest and my arms around you...with the windows cracked so it's chilly and we have to cuddle closer... »

Catherine smiled. She was right where she belonged and this man next to her made all her dreams came true. And Steve, God did he love this woman. He loved her in a way he had never loved anyone else before. He loved her in a way that consumed him. She was the most beautiful person he knew, inside and out, and Steve knew some men were jealous of him. Catherine was a mystery to everyone but him. He knew all of her secrets, every curves on her body, and he loved the idea that he knew while everyone wondered. And in two weeks they will finally become husband and wife.

Steve kissed her on the head as they both laid there in silence and drifted off to sleep.

 _To be continued..._

* * *

Dear all,

Thank you so much once again for the kind feedbacks on the previous chapters!

I'm very sorry I took longer to publish this short update, I have some serious personal issues that I have to deal with.

 **I think you heard that Peter Lenkov thinks about Alicia for Steve's new love interest. That broke my heart...What do you think about it ?** I just don't understand him anymore...this is too much. If Alex O'Loughlin decide not to be in Season 9 ( if there will be a season 9 ), then we don't have much time for Michelle Borth to come back:(

Anyway...let me know if you liked this chapter ! And sorry again for the time I took to update!

Xoxo

Vanou


	17. Chapter 16 - You and I

_Hey guys ! I'm very sorry for the time it took me to update. The truth is, I have a serious health problem. That's why I decided to publish the last chapter of my story, and I think it ends the way I wanted it to end. _

_The truth is I don't know how much time I still have to live due to my disease, and I'm "sadly" just 27, life can hit you anytime. I know that what I will say is stupid but I just really hope I'll have the time to witness Catherine's return if she comes back in season 8, or at least know she'll be back._

 _I want to express my gratitude for the nice comments I always had. Thank you as well for being so nice with my English, which is not always perfect and for allowing me to continue to publish my first and only fanfiction._

 _I hope you'll enjoy this last chapter, I had a great time sharing it with you all ! Thank you again, to all of you, that was a great adventure !_

 ** _« Life is short, time is fast, no replay, no rewind, so enjoy every moment as it comes. »_**

 _Greetings from France ! And **THANK YOU** , from the bottom of my heart!_

 _Vanessa_

* * *

It was the night before the wedding, nervous jitters filled Catherine's belly as she tried to get some sleep. She and Steve decided to spend the night apart and it was harder than she expected. She tossed and turned before finally settling into his spot on the bed, inhaling his scent deep and wrapping herself in one of his t-shirt. She missed him. Steve was sleeping at Danny's house. She wanted to tell him that she couldn't wait to marry him tomorrow. And then her phone buzzed with a text message. It was from Steve.

 _-Are you sleeping already ?_

She had to laugh out loud at that. They've said they wouldn't text each other and that they will see each other at the wedding and that before that, there would be no contact at all.

 _-We said we wouldn't text each other_

 _-I changed my mind, I miss you way too much_

 _-I miss you too, so much, and I can't wait to see you tomorrow, now we should both get to sleep_

 _-You're right, I can't wait Cath, I see you tomorrow then_

 _-Good night Sailor, I love you_

 _-Good night Cath, I love you too_

And with that, she was able to fall asleep, dreams of her wedding and spending the rest of her life with the man she loved filling her head and her heart.

* * *

Karen Rollins, Catherine's mother, walked into the room and smiled when she saw her radiant daughter, standing there in her wedding dress. Kono was with her as well.

« My God honey...you look so beautiful »

« Thank you mom...you look rather amazing too ! »

Catherine was so thankful that she had such a perfect relationship with her mother, and with her mother-in-law to be, Doris.

The two were sharing a hug when Abby knocked on the door and poked her head in.

« 10 minutes left Cath »

« Alright...10 minutes...oh my God...oh my God... » Catherine tried to calm her heart speed « Ok..10 minutes...where...where are my shoes ? Where the hell are my shoes ? Someone get me my damn shoes ! » Catherine screamed, frantically searching for her wedding shoes.

« Hum...Cath...you've already wearing them... » Kono pointed out.

Lifting up her gown, sure enough, they were on her feet. She immediately felt stupid and she began to apologize. Kono was right there though, offering her a glass of champagne to calm her pre-wedding jitters.

« I don't know why I'm so frazzled all of a sudden ! I love Steve so much ! There's no doubt I want to marry him. Is this normal ? »

« YES ! » Both Karen and Kono said at once, instantly calming her nerves.

« Sugar, I had to dring half a bottle of wine before I was able to walk down the aisle to your father » Karen shared.

Catherine felt so blessed to have her mom calming her down. She was right, this was a normal behaviour and she couldn't wait to see Steve, waiting for her...Catherine began to fan her eyes, not wanting to cry and ruin her makeup.

« Can you put in on me ? » she managed to choke out, while holding her beautiful necklace to her mother. Karen clasped the delicate metal around her daughter's neck and gave her a hug.

And before she knew it, Caherine saw Michael, her dad. Her mother gave her a last hug and went out to sit in the front row. It was time.

* * *

Steve looked out of the crowd on the beach, all of the chairs filled with the people closest to them and he was happy that they went with the small number of guests. He looked to the front row where Doris, Karen, and Mary sat. A sad moment passed over his body and a deep ache settled in his heart for the loss of his father but he knew that he'd be so happy for him.

And then the music started and Kono, holding Joan's little hands, came down the aisle in their purple dresses. Then Sara came out, holding Abby's hand. They made their way down while Sara sprinkled rose petals. Steve's heart beat faster and faster and Danny, his best man, gave him a reassuring look when Steve turned to him. He couldn't wait for Catherine to come out.

Instead of the traditional music, a slow instrumental version of « _Somewhere over the rainbow_ » with only a piano and a cello began to play, filling the air with this sweet melody as Steve saw the love of his life made her way towards him, holding her father's arm. She was breathtaking. The orange glow from the setting sun kissed her skin so beautifully and it created an aura, about her. The smile on her face spoke of how happy she was to be marrying him and the tears streaming down her cheeks matched his. One step, two steps, Catherine and her father came down the aisle until they reached Steve. Michael hugged her daughter tight, whispered something in her ear, then released her and gave a warm smile to Steve.

Steve took Catherine hand in his, mouthing that he loved her and that she looked beautiful. She returned the sentiments, tears in her eyes. They both moved to stand in front of the priest.

« We are gathered here today to join Steven J. McGarrett and Catherine Rollins in a life of mutual commitment. It is fitting and appropriate that you, their family and friends be here to witness and to participate in their union. » The priest began once everyone retook their seats, the piano and cello still playing softly in the background as Steve and Catherine promised their lives to each other.

« Do you, Catherine Rollins, accept Steven J. McGarrett as your lifemate and one true love, promising to share in all that life offers and suffers, to be there for him in times of need, to soothe him in times of pain, and to support him in all endeavors, big and small. »

« I do... » Catherine said with a trembling voice, tears rolling down her cheeks. Steve heart melted as the sound of this simpe phrase _« I do... »_

« Do you Steven J. McGarrett , accept Catherine Rollins as your lifemate and one true love, promising to share in all that life offers and suffers, to be there for her in times of need, to soothe her in times of pain, and to support her in all endeavors, big and small. »

« I do » he answered, his eyes locked with hers. Love was definitely in the air.

They then exchanged rings.

« You have now exchanged special rings, symbols that love is the most precious element in your life together. The ring has no beginning and no ending, which symbolizes that the love between you will never cease. You have place these rings upon each others fingers as a visible sign of your vows this day. And now, by the power vested in me by the district of Honolulu, I hereby pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride. »

As the crowd cheered, Catherine found herself pulled into Steve's arms and thoroughly kissed in front of everyone. Their first kiss as husband and wife. Steve's hands cupping her cheeks and Catherine's hands clasped together behind his neck. Steve kissed her sweetly, savoring the feeling of his wife's lips on his before he took it deeper. She poured all of her love into him and he did the same, each filled to the brim and overflowing with absolute bliss.

« Family and friends, honored guests, I present to you Mr and Mrs McGarrett » the minister stated when they finally pulled apart, wiping tears off each other's cheeks.

And there they were, in this perfect marriage. Just two imperfect people who refused to give up on each other. And life finally gave them the right to do it.

* * *

The reception space was everything that they had pictured, the only light source the dozens of candles and scented oils which gave the space a warm glow. Their first dance song was «You and I » by John Legend. Steve made a list of 5 songs and Catherine picked up this one, a beautiful ballad that fit them perfectly.

With her head on his chest, the steady beat of his heart underneath her ear, they swayed slowly. Catherine looked up at Steve and tears were sparkling in his eyes as he leaned down to kiss his bride when he heard the lyrics « _All of the stars, they don't shine brighter than you are,_ _Ain't nobody in the world but you and I..._ » The music, the people, the day, everything...everything faded away and all there was was him and her. Their souls met in a way that they never had previously and their love radiated out. It was more than perfect.

« I love you so much Cath... » he whispered in her ear

« I love you too, so so much... »

As the reception continued, had enjoyed a good laugh when after being lovingly feed her first bite of wedding cake by Steve, Catherine shoved the rest of the piece they had cut into her husband's face. They all danced, they laughed until tears streamed down their faces, especially with Danny's speech and also when Jerry caught the bouquet, they cried of emotion with the speechs of Kono and of Catherine's dad , they kissed, they ate until they were full, and Catherine and Steve told each other how in love they were over and over. It was magical. It was everything. And at the end of the night, as they swayed to the last song, Catherine's heels kicked off and Steve's jacket on the back of someone's chair, they still couldn't believe that they finally made it. They were husband and wife.

A short time later, they had thanked their guests for coming and entered their hotel room for the night, Steve closed it behind them and pulled Catherine, still in her wedding dress, into his arms.

* * *

Their 1 week honeymoon in the Maldives was pure happiness. They snorkeled and swam and lazed on the white sandy beach. They made love seventy percent of the time, having each other whenever the mood hit. Their contact with the outside world was limited. On the last night on their honeymoon, they reluctantly packed their bags and prepared to return to the outside world. While excited to see their friends again, they couldn't help but miss the serinity of the island so they promised to come back there one day.

« Ready to go Cath ? » Steve asked in the morning, the boat already at the dock waiting to take them back to reality

« Yeah. I'm ready to start the rest of our lives together. »

« Me too », Steve replied, while placing a kiss on her lips.

* * *

 **4 years later**

« Hey baby girls » Steve said as he came into her daughters' bedroom « Time to wake up »

« I'm already up » Eva replied « But Riley is lazy today ».

Steve smiled, the sound of her innocent voice, the view of his 3 year-old twin daughters always made him smile. They both had his blue-green eyes, but the rest was all from Catherine. It was a perfect mix of the two of them.

Catherine got pregnant a few months after their wedding, they planned it, because they were scared not to have enough time due to Steve's radiation poisoning. They were both scared and shocked when they learned they were expecting twins. Twin girls. Danny spent months to laugh about the situation, knowing how protective and paranoiac Steve will be as a girl dad. And Danny was right. Steve was the best dad ever, but God was he overprotective but in the same time, he was really the doting father kind and Catherine couldn't dream of a better husband and a better father to her children. The last 4 years had been without big dramas. Steve was still the head of Five-0. Catherine was working part time with him, but never on the field. They both took less risks in the job since they were parents.

« You can't keep calling us baby daddy ! » Eva said with a serious tone

« Oh no ? Why's that ? » Steve asked as he sat on the little girl bed.

« But because mommy will have the new baby girl soon »

« Well, you'll all be my babies, forever » Steve said as he did big eyes to his daughter, while Riley started to wake up as well.

« Daddy's right » Catherine said from the doorway of the room. She was rubbing her lower back with her right hand and rested her left one on her eight-month belly. They were expecting a third girl.

Eva hopped off to bed and ran to her mom. She picked her up « Hi mommy ! ». Catherine gave him a hug and a kiss while Steve picked Riley up from her bed. The little girl was still tired so she rested her head on her daddy's shoulder

Steve and Catherine smiled warmly at each other. Their daughters changed their lives in so many good ways. The love they shared were stronger than ever. Being parents was the hardest job ever in life, but it was definitely the best one.

What they all were to each other had no understanding, unless you can understand what forever and infinity really mean. That what the story of their lives.

 **THE END**


End file.
